


Day By Day

by Bionerd2Point0



Series: Apocalyptic Daydreams [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha Cassandra Cain, Alpha Dick Grayson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Anal Fingering, Angst, Beta Alfred Pennyworth, Beta Stephanie Brown, Biting, Consent Issues, Double Penetration in One Hole, Finding Family, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Language Barrier, M/M, Malnourishment, Mating Bites, Medical Examination, Minor Surgery, Misunderstandings, Mpreg, Multi, Mute!Jason, Omega Jason Todd, Omega Tim Drake, Oral Sex, Pack Dynamics, Past Forced Prostitution, Past Rape/Non-con, Past non-consensual drug use, Poly Pack Dynamics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, STDs, Scars, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Unreliable Narrator, despite all other appearances this is quite soft, discussion of self defense using guns, humane (though violent) animal death, past forced miscarriage/infanticide, past sexual slavery, threats of forced miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:48:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28601718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bionerd2Point0/pseuds/Bionerd2Point0
Summary: He stepped out of the woods into the clearing with his arms held out, dropping his bag in favor of raising his hands as he registered three rifles pointed his way.They didn't immediately open fire, which was nice. Jason had been prepared for that possibility, but getting shot was better than starving or freezing to death."State your name and business."The pack alpha was even bigger up close, a wall of muscle silhouetted against the fire, and for a moment Jason cursed himself for spending so long fighting with himself. This would have been much easier in the daylight.He let out a wheeze, trying to apologize, then tipped his chin up in a sign of submission. The atmosphere shifted, and he saw the dark-haired girl lower her rifle out of the corner of his eye."No way…"
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain (background), Tim Drake/Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake/Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Series: Apocalyptic Daydreams [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100372
Comments: 200
Kudos: 516





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Seeking Shelter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15648981) by [sphagnum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sphagnum/pseuds/sphagnum). 



> Warnings: STOP! Did you read the tags for this? Go back up and read them again. I did not tag *anything* that does not play a major role in this fic, so you need to be absolutely certain that you are comfortable with everything I tagged. Even if it's "past-X" it still plays a major role in the way that Jason behaves and he brings up a lot of bad memories with very little warning. If you have any concerns, please feel free to DM me on Tumblr (bionerd2point0) or Discord.
> 
> With that said... Hello! This was my winter break fic, and I was going to wait a bit longer to post it (gotta give people time to get through the Kinkmas goodies ;) ), but in light of recent events I thought we could all use a distraction. This fic is finished, and I'll be posting a chapter a day until it's fully up!
> 
> Major thank-you to Jane0Doe for being an excellent enabler and beta, this would not have come together this quickly without her help. Thank you, luv!!!! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Jason stood in place, muscles locked so tight he was trembling from head to toe, compounded by the cold seeping through his clothes and the terror in his heart. 

He was out of options. He had no other choice. Hunger wasn't even a feeling anymore, because his body had started to eat itself, and he'd drank the last of his water that morning. 

That didn't make this any easier. 

If he'd learned one thing in life, it was that alphas could not be trusted in anything other than causing harm. It was just a really shitty fact of life that he needed them in order to make it another week. 

He could hear faint laughter through the trees, the light from the campfire ahead giving some of the underbrush a dim glow. 

These alphas wouldn't be awful, he reminded himself. He'd been watching them for days, and the omegas in their pack seemed comfortable and well fed, which was better than he could say about packs in the city. 

He slammed that thought process shut. It wouldn't help him any to think about city life now, he needed to calm down before they smelled him. 

With that in mind, he took a step forward, crunching down on a twig with a wince. Taking another step, he purposefully brushed against a bush, rustling the branches as he passed. 

The laughter and conversation in front of him cut off abruptly as the pack heard his approach, and with grim satisfaction he trekked onward. 

He stepped out of the woods into the clearing with his arms held out, dropping his bag in favor of raising his hands as he registered three rifles pointed his way. 

They didn't immediately open fire, which was nice. Jason had been prepared for that possibility, but getting shot was better than starving or freezing to death. 

"State your name and business."

The pack alpha was even bigger up close, a wall of muscle silhouetted against the fire, and for a moment Jason cursed himself for spending so long fighting with himself. This would have been much easier in the daylight. 

He let out a wheeze, trying to apologize, then tipped his chin up in a sign of submission. The atmosphere shifted, and he saw the dark-haired girl lower her rifle out of the corner of his eye.

"No way…"

The soft exclamation came from the alpha's second, another tall male who had taken up post by two ATVs and the large truck that the two omegas were probably hiding in.

The pack alpha approached him, only hesitating a moment when he caught Jason's distressed scent, which was unavoidable at this point. 

He stopped in front of Jason, hand reaching to ghost his fingers over the scar splitting across Jason's throat. 

"You can't talk?" he confirmed. 

Jason nodded, trying not to flinch when those fingers traced over the sides of his neck, searching for a mating mark that he wouldn't find. That was the only selling point he had left, and he hoped to god it was enough to save his life. 

The alpha made an abrupt movement with his hand, and Jason jerked back before he remembered himself, freezing in place and bracing for whatever punishment would come… but nothing did. The alpha didn't raise his hand to hit him, just started patting down Jason's shoulders. 

It was unexpected, but not so distracting that he didn't notice the dark-haired girl slipping out of the circle of light into the trees. 

"Dick." The pack alpha jerked his head towards the bag Jason had dropped earlier, and his second stepped forward. 

Jason tried not to curl in on himself, tried to stay still as the pack alpha continued to pat him down. 'Dick' was nice enough to back away once he had the bag, only pausing long enough to glance over Jason in concern. 

"Bruce."

The pack alpha, Bruce, didn't stop from where he was sliding his hands down Jason's legs. 

"He's skinny as fuck."

Bruce hummed in agreement, and Jason had to look away in shame. It was an accurate observation. 

"He's starving," Bruce said. "I don't think he would have come to us otherwise, not unless someone sent him here as a distraction." Bruce looked up at him, as if daring him to deny the possibility, but Jason knew better than to argue with an alpha. 

Bruce had him step out of his shoes, which made the anxiety threaten to choke him again. It was okay. This was fine. He should have known they wouldn't want him able to run, not that his sneakers had done much good to begin with, falling apart as they were. 

The ground was damp and chilly beneath his feet, and he curled his toes inwards to try and fight off the numbness as long as possible. 

"No signs of anyone else?" 

It took Jason a moment to realize that Bruce wasn't talking to him, and he tripped over his feet to stumble away from the dark-haired girl who'd appeared behind him. 

"Easy." 

A heavy hand landed between his shoulders at the base of his neck, as much a threat as a reassurance. 

The girl looked at him curiously, then shook her head at Bruce. She hadn't seen signs of anyone else, mostly because Jason knew no one else was there. 

"Dick?" 

Jason hadn't kept track of the other alpha, spaced out as he was, and looked over to see his meager belongings spread across the ground. 

Dick dropped the empty bag with a huff. "Threadbare blanket, a length of shitty rope, and an empty canteen. He's got a nice knife, but it's peace tied." 

Grunting, Bruce pushed him forward, closer to the fire. He stopped Jason in front of a fallen log, ordering, "Sit."

Jason sat. 

"You have a name?" 

Jason sucked in his lower lip, biting at the chapped skin, then leaned forward and traced the letters of his name in the dirt. 

"Jason?"

He nodded. 

"Well, Jason, my name is Bruce. Over there is Dick, Cassandra, and Alfred." 

The old beta who'd been watching the other side of camp gestured for Dick to take his place, making his way towards the fire. 

"I'm not going to ask why you're here, because frankly I don't trust you. You're either here because you had no other option, or because you're bait for an ambush, right?"

Jason nodded slowly, because yeah. That was technically accurate. 

"Good. Here's what's going to happen. We'll give you something to eat, heat some water to clean up with, and will go to bed. Tomorrow, we're packing up and moving. If you were sent here by another pack, now's your chance to say something, because now is your last chance to go back to them peacefully."

Shaking his head, Jason squeezed his eyes closed. No pack had sent him, and he'd be glad to never see any of the alphas from his past ever again. 

"Right. Cass?" Bruce made another of those gestures, and Cass crossed the clearing to the truck. It was curious, how silent she was. Jason at least had an excuse, but even the way she moved was quiet. 

He was distracted from further study by Alfred passing Bruce a mug of warm  _ something _ that smelled like heaven. 

Bruce held it out towards him, bringing the scent of salt and garlic and food closer. 

Tentatively, he reached out, grasping his fingers around the cup when Bruce didn't pull it away. Bruce didn't let go, however, and instead clasped his other hand around Jason's, trapping his hand against the warm mug. 

"Drink it  _ slowly. _ If you can keep it down, you'll get more, but if you drink too fast you'll make yourself sick." Bruce held him there until Jason nodded, and only then was he allowed to bring the cup up to his lips. 

Even with the warning it was hard not to down it all in one go. It was actual soup broth, not just beef stock from a can, and the oil at the top clung to his lips, the salt making them sting from where he'd picked them raw. He could taste garlic and other herbs he couldn't name, and it occurred to him as he sipped that the last time he'd eaten something warm that actually tasted good was years ago, directly after the Fall if not Before. 

Roman had kept them on a diet of grits, oatmeal, and the occasional half-rotted fruit to prevent scurvy. This was… this was real food. As real as it could get given it was just broth. 

He forced himself to lower the cup, holding it in his lap as he took a steadying breath. 

A car door slammed shut, and he looked up to see Bruce frowning at something behind him. 

Twisting around, he saw Cass making her way back with the two omegas close behind, a perky blonde girl and a quiet boy. He looked back at Bruce anxiously, knowing that his survival depended on the alpha not seeing him as a threat, and he had no doubt that they'd put him down if it looked like he could harm their omegas. 

"Oh my goodness, you poor thing," the girl cooed at him. "You smell like you're about to fall over in a dead faint. Bruce, quit scaring him. Shoo!" 

Jason tensed up, looking wildly at Bruce for guidance as she closed the distance between them, sitting down on the log so close their elbows bumped. He breathed shallowly, trying not to panic, and realized that her scent wasn’t sweet enough to make her an omega. She was a beta? Was that why Bruce was allowing her so near?

Bruce just rolled his eyes and backed up a step to talk quietly with Alfred. 

"There, that's better isn't it?" 

It really, really wasn't, but she was pumping out enough calming pheromones for Jason to feel drowsy, so he didn't argue. 

"What's your name?" 

"His name is Jason." 

She glared at Bruce for answering for him, but Jason was relieved he didn't have to figure out a response. His writing in the dirt had gotten smudged with all the traffic. 

"Don't look at me like that. He can't talk, Stephanie. Until we can get some paper out, stick with yes or no questions."

"Just because he can't talk, doesn't mean he can't communicate," she snapped back, which was… surprisingly nice. "Ignore him," she said, turning back to Jason. "My name's Stephanie, and this is Tim, our pack omega." 

For as soft as Stephanie's eyes were, Tim's were sharp and calculating. Not unkind, but he was clearly wary, and it was kind of a relief. The alphas were less likely to overreact to anything they misheard with him paying close attention. 

Jason nodded in greeting, then froze in place when Stephanie wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

"You look exhausted. When was the last time you got some real rest? Or a chance to wash up?" She tutted, pulling at the tips of his hair to untangle the loosest knots. 

It had been literal weeks since he last bathed, and Jason could feel his face heating in shame as she leaned in closer to keep grooming him, pulling at his greasy hair. It was classic pack behavior, but he hadn't experienced anything like it since he was a pup. 

"Tim, that water's for him, right?"

Tim shrugged, "It is now." He set a bundle of cloth next to Stephanie, then walked over to the fire and leaned over the metal pail, cautiously dipping his pinky finger in to test the temperature. 

Nodding to himself, Tim made his way over to Bruce and Alfred, and whatever he said had them moving out past the parked vehicles and into the woods. Dick and Cass were already out of sight.

"They won't come back until you're finished," Tim promised, using a rag to safely lift the pail out of the fire. 

As far as reassurances went, it was a good one. Jason had been fully prepared to bathe in front of the pack, as humiliating as that would have been. To be able to bathe without the alphas watching—or at least, with them far enough away he couldn't see them—was more than he had hoped for. 

They would see him naked soon enough anyways, so it was likely that this generosity was just their lack of desire to see him while he was filthy. He couldn't blame them; he tried not to think about hygiene most days. 

With some careful prodding and encouragement from Stephanie, he peeled off his sweater. It was stiff from sweat and grime, clinging to his back in some areas. 

A touch to his shoulder startled him, and he looked up with wide eyes as Stephanie traced over the layers of scars marring his collarbones and shoulders. They overlapped, built up into thick layers that nearly disguised what had caused them. 

Roman had always given them thick bite collars to prevent accidental matings, but the rest of Jason’s body had been fair game, and the scars proved it.

He pulled the sweater to his chest, trying to hide the rest. He’d gotten used to the scars, but the pity in Stephanie’s eyes and the way Tim’s lingered on him made him feel suddenly ashamed. He wasn’t soft or pretty like an omega should be, certainly nothing like Tim. Even Stephanie was more aesthetically pleasing, and she was a beta. He’d be lucky if the alphas decided to keep him at all.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You’re safe here. We won’t hurt you.” 

‘Safe’ was debatable, but he probably wasn’t going to be treated any worse than before, and he’d survived that. He just hoped that they wouldn’t lash out, that they’d take pity when they found out about the little life growing inside him.

“Here, Tim and I will keep watch. How does that sound? That way we can make sure no one comes back too fast.”

Jason nodded hesitantly, then breathed a little easier when they turned their backs to him. He shivered as he stripped the rest of his clothes off, the night air biting at him and sapping what little energy he had left. It would probably frost tonight, and he hoped they would let him have his blanket back after… after.

The rag Tim had used to move the pail was draped over the side, soaking up water and clearly intended for his use. He was ready to just start scrubbing when he noticed a little bar of soap next to the spot Stephanie had just abandoned. 

He held it up to his face and sniffed carefully, surprised by the scent of some kind of flower. Lavender, perhaps. It was pleasant, not sharp and burning like the lye soap he’d gotten used to seeing after the Fall. 

The water was just cool enough to touch, and he sighed in pleasure as he scrubbed at his face. The rag came back grey, and he had to rinse it twice before moving to his chest and arms. 

He scrubbed himself pink, trying to prove that he could be trusted to clean himself well. When the water running down his legs was mostly clear, he reached back for his clothes only to be redirected by Tim. The pile of cloth he’d left on the log turned out to be a towel, a clean shirt, and sweatpants so soft they felt like heaven against his skin. They were too big, but Tim helped him tie the drawstring tightly and roll the top down so that they wouldn't fall.

Re-dressed and no longer freezing, he started tackling the disaster that was his hair. He had to lean over the pail and scoop water over the back of his head, rubbing in soap and trying to scrub the dirt and oils loose, but it was so matted in some areas that he couldn’t break through the tangles. 

He hissed, pulling harder to try and break through the big one on the back of his head, but only managed to rip out some of his hair.

“Shh, no, don’t do that.” Tim’s slim fingers rested lightly on his own, halting his jerky movements. Tim guided his hands down to brace against the pail, then started working the soap in himself, albeit much gentler. “We’ll probably have to cut it, but it shouldn’t hurt to leave it alone for a few days. It doesn’t look like you have lice, though, which is nice.”

Jason breathed slowly, relaxing under the soft touches. If he was able to, he probably would have moaned, but instead it just came out as a quiet sigh. 

“Close your eyes for me.”

He let his eyes fall the rest of the way shut, feeling water drip down the sides of his face to his nose as Tim rinsed out the soap. 

The other omega rubbed in more soap, massaging Jason’s skull to build up a lather, and Jason might have actually dozed off for a moment, because he startled when the towel was draped over his head, no memory of Tim rinsing out the second round of soap.

“There you go, that’s better, isn’t it?”

Jason blinked up at him, trying to reorient himself while Tim toweled his hair dry. The rest of the pack was back in the clearing, Bruce, Dick, and Alfred talking together on the other side of the fire while Stephanie snuggled up against Cass where she was keeping watch near the trees.

Tim leaned back to catch Jason’s eye, waiting until Jason focused on his before speaking. “Do you want another cup of broth, or do you want to sleep?”

The day he turned down food was the day the world  _ actually _ ended, but Jason was too tired to lift a finger, let alone a cup with broth. He shrugged, trying not to list to the side.

Tim studied his face, then nodded sharply. “Sleep it is.” He reached over to Jason’s pile of dirty clothes and tossed them into the fire, then made his way over to his alphas.

It hurt, watching his clothes burn. They were stiff with sweat and filth, worn too thin to function, but they’d been all he had when he slipped through Roman’s fingers. Watching them turn to ash felt a bit like saying goodbye to his brief moment of independence, which was ridiculous considering it was just a pair of threadbare flannel pants and a sweater. It shouldn’t be that big a deal.

He shook his head to clear it, shakily getting to his feet as Tim returned with Bruce. 

Bruce looked him over, nodding in satisfaction at his level of cleanliness, then gestured for Tim to help him walk over to the truck.

The bed of the truck had been converted into some kind of permanent tent-like structure, and a separate, normal tent rested nearby for whoever couldn’t squeeze in the truck bed. 

“Stephanie!” Bruce called. “You’re in the truck tonight.” 

“Sure thing, boss,” she replied, disentangling from Cass’ side.

He dropped the tailgate down, pulling aside one of the flaps to reveal the nest. Several thin totes lined the bottom of the truck bed, with thin camping mattresses laying on top and pillows shoved up against the sides. The outside of the canopy was a plastic tarp, but the inside appeared to be lined with animal furs, and Jason had never wanted to curl up in something more. 

“C’mon, Jay.” Stephanie hooked a hand around his elbow. “You can sleep in the middle with me and Timmy.”

“No,” Bruce said sharply, cutting through the peaceful atmosphere. “He’ll sleep on the outside next to me.”

“Seriously?” Stephanie let go of him, stepping towards Bruce with her hands on her hips. “He looks ready to keel over! He’ll sleep better without you breathing down his neck.”

“What part of ‘we can’t trust him’ did you not understand?” Bruce swelled up a little, glowering down at her.

Jason wasn’t sure if she was trying to protect him from what was sure to happen next, or if there was something else going on that he’d missed, but he was worn thin. Too many flips from almost-comfort to terror, and he wasn’t worth the fight. Bruce would… claim him. Then he could get some sleep, and they’d deal with the rest in the morning.

He let out a silent whine, but neither Bruce nor Stephanie noticed in their posturing. Tim, however, did.

“Enough!” Tim cut through the argument, reaching up with one hand to gently rub the back of Jason’s neck, soothing him. “Jason sleeps between Bruce and I, end of discussion. Stephanie, get in the truck.”

Stephanie grumbled about not being able to cuddle him, but complied. 

Frowning, Bruce had some kind of silent conversation with Tim, but eventually relented and helped boost Jason into the nest. 

It smelled like sex, Bruce, Tim, and Dick. The rest of the pack was there too, faintly, but it was clear that those three spent the most time here. It stole away a little bit more of the calm that Jason had claimed, and now that he was clean he could smell the sour notes of fear enter his scent.

“Relax. You’re fine.” Bruce’s hand landed heavily on the back of his neck and squeezed down, scruffing him.

Jason melted into the hold, eagerly giving in to the artificial calm, and let them push and prod him until he was laying on his side, face pressed against Tim’s throat. It was warm and comfortable, and Tim smelled safe, purring softly to lull him closer to sleep.

“Bruce,” Tim whispered, breath tickling the curls on the top of Jason’s head. “You should have seen… God. I’ve never…”

He was too close to sleep to make sense of what Tim was talking about, sighing in contentment as Bruce pulled a blanket over them, then settled a massive arm over their shoulders to pull both of them closer, Jason’s back pressed against his chest.

“We’re keeping him,” Tim stated. “I don’t care if someone sent him here, he’s not going back to whatever monsters are capable of—”

“Hush.” Bruce quieted Tim’s growing anger and leaned over Jason’s head, kissing Tim, if Jason was interpreting the wet sound correctly. “He’s one of us now. We’ll figure the rest out later.”

Jason was so relieved he could feel tears gathering in his eyes. If they accepted him that easily, they might accept his pup too. He’d do anything to keep his pup.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: There's an extra helping of consent issues, some implied forced miscarriage, past non-consensual drug use, and a line that is kind of suicidal ideation in this chapter. Please jump to the bottom notes for more details!!
> 
> Good morning to all my fellow EST folks!! Hello to everyone else! XD Here's another angsty one for your enjoyment. ;)

Waking up the next morning was a confusing mix of sensations that shouldn’t make sense. 

Jason felt warm, which was weird, but not totally out of question. He was lying on something soft, which was definitely weird. He felt drowsy and slow, almost safe, which was absolutely unheard of outside of the times he’d been drugged, and that, more than anything else, had him scrambling up in panic to try and figure out where he was.

“Woah!” 

Jason flipped around, squinting in the dark to make out the features of a strange alpha… Dick. He was in the tent on the back of the truck out in the woods. Out of the city. Away from Roman. 

“Hey, you okay?” Dick rubbed at his eyes, chasing away the last traces of sleep.

Heart still racing, Jason nodded warily, trying to catch his breath. None of the others were in the tent still, which was terrifying to realize. Bruce was a big alpha, and he’d been wrapped around Tim when he’d fallen asleep, but hadn’t roused at all when they and Stephanie left, nor when Dick joined him.

Dick watched him curiously, as if waiting for Jason to say something else, and maybe  _ this _ was it? Bruce hadn’t claimed him last night, but this pack might be run differently. Maybe Dick had first claim?

He tipped his head to the side, baring his throat, then pressed his face into the blankets. He reached down to push his sweatpants off, shuffling to get into a proper arch, but Dick’s hands caught his wrists and he froze in place. 

Lifting Jason’s wrists to rest back on the bed, Dick pushed at Jason’s side until he rolled over, blinking up at the alpha in confusion.

Dick’s eyes were hard and a little angry, and Jason quickly lifted his chin again. He wouldn’t fight. He’d do whatever they wanted, he could be good.

“Shh.” Dick ran a hand through Jason’s hair, trying to tame the curls a little. “You don’t need to do that, okay?” He ran his fingers down the side of Jason’s face, lingering as though he didn't know whether the touch would be welcome. “There’s boots on the tailgate for you. Come out when you’re ready for breakfast, but don’t wait too long. We need to leave soon.”

He left Jason in a mess of confusion and anxiety. They were letting him stay, feeding him, ‘keeping him,’ as Tim had said last night, but they hadn’t claimed him. Had he misunderstood? Were they going to try and sell him? Give him back to his old alpha?

He shuddered at the thought. If they tried to give him back to Roman, Jason would find a way to end himself. He couldn’t risk raising a pup in that hell, not that Roman would ever let him  _ raise _ it, and dying would be better than whatever punishment Roman had in store for him. 

Maybe… maybe they wanted him to gain some weight first. Maybe they wanted to be sure he could recover and wasn’t seriously ill. He hoped that was the case. If they were traditional and were planning on waiting for his heat, well, that wouldn’t come for at least a year, and they’d probably want to get rid of the pup since it wasn’t theirs.

He let out a silent keen at the thought, pressing a hand against his lower abdomen, right where Roman had branded him all those years ago. This was his pup. His baby. He’d lost the others, but he would do anything to make sure that this one had a good life, starting, apparently, with breakfast.

The boots on the tailgate were better quality than anything he’d ever dreamed of getting his hands on. Thick treads and soft soles, they were well-worn, but that just meant they’d be more comfortable if he had to walk far. A pair of socks were draped over them and a hoodie rested beside it, clearly intended for his use. He quickly pulled it all on and slid off the truck. 

It was still dark out, but pre-dawn light was beginning to lighten the clouds. A layer of frost covered the ground, and he could see his breath when he blew out. It was too cold for just a hoodie to be enough, but it was still warmer than he’d been in weeks. 

Stephanie spotted him first, waving him over to the fire pit that had mostly burned down, everyone else busy packing up camp.

“Here you go!” She held a plastic bowl out towards him. “Alfred said you can have eggs and simple carbs until we get you up to where you’re supposed to be.”

Jason wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but he assumed that she was talking about his weight. He couldn’t really find it in himself to care, not with food in his hand an express permission to eat. 

The eggs were still warm, and he had to take a moment to savor them. They were light and fluffy and actually seasoned, nearly as good as the broth from last night. 

Stephanie chattered away while he ate, a pleasant running commentary about how pretty the sunrise was and how she was excited to be moving to their winter campsite. Nothing that required him to respond, but helped him feel more at ease with everyone else moving around so much.

“Oh! Hey Alfred.” Stephanie cut off her tirade on tree sap to greet the older beta when he approached.

“Good morning, Miss Stephanie. Hello, Master Jason. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Alfred spoke with an accent of some kind, something prim and proper that reminded Jason of the old romance novels his neighbor gave him Before. 

The fact that he, for whatever reason, called Jason 'Master' left him speechless and more than a little alarmed. He lifted his hand to give Alfred a small wave, trying not to gawk.

Stephanie must have caught his look, because she leaned forward saying, "It's an Alfred quirk. Apparently it's to continue some semblance of normalcy, whatever that means. I'm the only one he calls 'Miss,' but that's because I flat out refuse to be called Mistress. It was a hard battle," she finished solemnly, sending Alfred a look of mock suspicion. 

Alfred ignored her entirely and sat down next to Jason. “I have a few things for you,” he started, holding up the cup in his hand. Tipping the cup, he carefully shook out something small and hard. 

It took Jason a second to realize that it was a pill, and his heart leapt into his throat. Oh. He was familiar with pills. His mom had taken them before she’d started heroin, and Roman had given them to him too. Sometimes they made him hurt, sometimes they made him fuzzy and forgetful. Sometimes they jump-started his heat. 

He didn’t know much about drugs, but he did know that they could hurt his pup, and Jason wasn’t sure how he could say no.

Alfred pretended not to notice the traces of distress slipping into Jason’s scent, and started explaining what it was for. “This is vitamin D. You need it in order for your body to absorb calcium and other minerals that keep your bones strong, and I daresay that you could use a bit more of it. I also have a multivitamin for you, and a few more for you to take with your supper. You’re most likely deficient in all of your vitamins and minerals, but I am hoping that we can help you along a little faster with these supplements, if you’re willing to take them. If not, we will just have to be very particular about your diet.”

Jason stared at the old man. He… he was allowed to refuse them? 

Looking down at the little capsules, he gnawed on his lower lip and mulled it over. He had no way of knowing whether Alfred was lying or not, but if they really were just to help him get healthy faster then they would probably be good for the pup too, right?

He met Alfred’s eye carefully and nodded, bringing a smile to Alfred’s face.

“Wonderful. Stephanie, would you mind getting us some water?”

Jason swallowed the two pills with the water Stephanie brought, putting his very limited trust in this pack to the test. 

“Good morning, Jason.” 

He startled a bit as Bruce appeared right behind him.

“We’re ready to go if you’re done here,” he said to the group at large.

Jason looked down at his empty bowl, then nodded. There wasn’t much left for him to do besides worry about the pills he’d just taken, and the more he thought about it the more nauseous he felt. It was better to get moving.

Dick and Cass took the ATVs, both loaded down with heavy totes and a few barrels probably filled with water. Jason found himself squished in the middle of the tiny backseat in the truck with Bruce driving and Alfred in the passenger seat. 

It was a quiet, though bumpy, drive; the sky slowly waking up around them and various woodland creatures scurrying out of the way of their caravan. Eventually, they got out of the forest and spilled out onto an old freeway. They were able to pick up speed then, traveling along the empty road faster than Jason had ever traveled before. 

Bruce cleared his throat, drawing Jason’s attention away from the windows. 

“We’re going to our winter camp. We were planning on heading there in a few weeks anyways, but your arrival upped our timeline. We should arrive late tonight, but tomorrow I’d like to hear more about you, teach you how our pack is run, and see where you’ll best fit for the time being.”

That was… daunting to think about, but Jason nodded because there wasn’t really any other answer he could give.

“Can you read and write?”

Jason winced, then nodded with a shrug. It had been nearly a decade since he’d had a chance to read, even longer since he’d written, but he was capable of it. Probably.

“Alfred can help you get better footing if you end up needing it, but if you’re willing I’d like you to spend some time learning with Cass. She has some speech troubles as well, and we’ve developed a kind of sign language to communicate. I think that you would benefit from that more than relying on writing to share your thoughts.”

They… they wanted him able to talk with them? Jason took sharp breaths, trying to control his reaction. He didn’t know why he was so surprised, they had listened to Tim last night, but Jason wasn’t their pack omega. Hell, Jason wasn’t even pack yet. He was just an unclaimed omega in their circle and… they wanted to be able to communicate. Back and forth. Not just give him orders and instructions.

He nodded rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut, then looking out the window in hopes it would keep the tears at bay. They might end up selling him later, or trading him to another pack, but it felt like this was somewhere he could live in the meantime.

* * *

Bruce pulled the ATV to a stop, switching it off. He’d traded with Dick when they’d stopped for lunch and to refuel the truck, and he was glad that the drive was finally over.

A tiny hunting cabin rested in the clearing before them, still boarded up with the biohazard tape where they’d left it in the spring. He motioned for Cass to get up, both of them moving in opposite directions to secure the area.

The location was remote. If a gang managed to find their way here, he’d be surprised, but that didn’t mean other nomadic packs couldn’t stumble across the cabin. 

There were no signs or traces of people, however, so he and Cass gave the all-clear for the rest of the pack to get out of the truck. It would take a few days to really set up camp, but they could get the basics ready before nightfall. 

“Jason.” 

The omega startled, freezing in place to look at him with wide eyes.

“Why don’t you help Alfred prepare dinner? We can get things set up out here.” Bruce waited for him to process the suggestion, glancing warily between them before nodding. 

Alfred took the lead, ushering Jason towards the cabin to help Dick pry the boards off the door. 

When the omega was safely out of sight, he gestured for the rest of his pack to follow him out of the clearing. They settled in a loose circle, still within view of the cabin but not so close as to be overheard.

“I spoke with Alfred during our morning watch, but I wanted to hear your thoughts before I talk to Jason tomorrow. Any concerns, anything you’ve seen that worries you or you think I should know, tell me. We’re pack, first and foremost. If any of you are uncomfortable with his presence, we can find somewhere else for him to go. I’m sure Barbara has the connections.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment, then Tim took a small step forward. “Unless anyone has an objection, I think he has a place here with us.”

Stephanie and Dick murmured in agreement, and Cass nodded, which was promising.

“I think we need to find out about his background, though. Both for our safety and for his.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes. Tim had always been an observant one. “How so?”

“He has a brand.” Tim’s eyes cut to Stephanie, who stiffened where she was leaning against Cass. “I couldn’t make out the details, it was too dark and I was more focused on helping him get dressed, but it was…” Tim grimaced, then pressed his hand against his lower abdomen, over his womb.

“I understand. I’ll have to see if he’s willing to talk about it.” If Jason was truly from one of the gangs’ brothels, then it was almost a guarantee that they’d be looking for him. Bruce was fairly certain Jason wasn’t a plant, but a runaway was just as dangerous in the wrong circumstances.

“He’s scared,” Cass offered. “More scared than me. Than Steph. He’s…” She frowned, searching for the right word, but Bruce understood where she was going.

“Scared people do stupid things.”

She shrugged, then nodded. It was close enough.

“Thank you, Cass. I’m planning on having him join you and Alfred for your language lessons, but if you don’t mind, he seemed eager to learn sign as well. Would you mind being the one to teach him?”

Cass laughed softly, eyes crinkling in a smile. “Yes. I’m better than you.”

Grinning, Bruce nodded in agreement. “Yes, you are. Does anyone else have anything to add?” No one said anything, but the look in Dick’s eyes spoke volumes. “Very well. We’re just unloading the minimum tonight. Get the furs inside where they’ll stay dry, and the bedrolls set up in the cabin. If there’s enough light out, I’d like to get some of the undergrowth pulled out of the clearing and the start of a latrine dug as well.” 

Everyone started towards the vehicles, chattering quietly amongst themselves. Dick, notably, stayed behind with Bruce.

“Something wrong?” he asked quietly. His second didn’t usually hold things back in front of the rest of the pack.

Dick hummed, watching the rest of their family start unloading the ATVs. “Jason presented to me this morning.”

Oh.

“Tried to take his pants off before I stopped him.” Dick sent him a pointed look.

“I’ll try and make sure he understands that we don’t need that from him.”

“You think he’ll be able to understand?”

It was a valid question. Jason looked like he was in his mid twenties, which would put him in his adolescent years at the time of the Fall. If he’d presented during the mass anarchy back then… Depending on Jason’s childhood, it was entirely possible that he had no concept of consent, or any kind of healthy dynamic between alphas and omegas.

“We can try, and hope that it’s enough for now. He’ll learn with time.”

Dick nodded, still looking unsettled about the situation. 

“Come here.” Bruce cupped the back of his neck, pulling the other alpha into a kiss. 

Dick clutched at his arms, holding on tightly, and Bruce was immensely glad he’d taken Alfred’s advice to have this talk. He hadn’t realized how off-balance Dick was.

“You okay?” he asked softly, pulling back just enough to rest their foreheads together.

“Yeah, just…” Dick shuddered, then leaned in to rub their cheeks together, scenting him. “I think it’s going to be a shit show while we all try and find our footing.”

Bruce snorted, straightening up. “That’s one way to say it.” He ran the back of his knuckles along Dick’s jaw in a gentle caress. “I’ll need your help while we figure it out. Don’t forget to talk to me, and tell me if you need anything.”

Smiling up at him, Dick nipped lightly at Bruce’s wrist. “Could do without the apocalypse, but I don’t think you can fix that.”

“That, I cannot. Now come, we should help the others.”

Dick laughed, skipping backwards a step before turning towards camp. “How much you wanna bet Tim’s trying to move the water barrels by himself again?”

“You’d lose that bet, the water barrels are staying outside tonight. But you should probably help Stephanie before she drops that box.”

“Oh, shit!” Dick rushed off to convince Stephanie to give him the heavy box that stored their canned vegetables. 

It was going to be a hard transition, but he had faith in his pack. They’d made it this far together, a new pack member wasn’t going to be the breaking point.

* * *

Jason breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, forcibly calming himself. The past thirty-six hours had been a whirlwind, and he was still waiting for reality to slap him in the face. 

Dinner had been oddly pleasant, mostly occupied with Bruce assigning jobs to do in the morning to get camp set up, and had concluded with Alfred giving him more pills. Apparently he’d keep getting them until they either ran out, or Alfred decided he didn’t need them anymore, but Jason hadn’t detected any negative signs yet.

He’d fallen asleep in the truck again, pressed between Dick and Tim, but woke up to Bruce asking if he was ready for his haircut. 

He shivered as Bruce drew the blade of his straight razor against his scalp, separating the matted hair from his skull where it’d pressed too close for scissors to fit. 

“The mats seem localized to the back and sides of your head, likely from how you slept. I can leave the top long if you’d like?”

Jason nodded hesitantly from where he was seated at Bruce’s feet.

Alfred was cooking something over the fire that smelled a little bit like heaven, but the proximity of an alpha with a sharp implement against his body was too stressful for Jason to feel anything but nauseous. 

Bruce cut away another section of hair with short, gentle movements. He added another smear of what Jason was pretty sure was butter, and started on the next section. 

Everyone else was moving around camp, unloading the ATVs and unpacking boxes of supplies, many of which had been stored in the tiny cabin.

It was weird to see the pack interact. They all seemed so attuned to one another, it wasn’t something he’d ever seen before. The guiding touches from Dick as he made sure Tim didn’t stumble into the fire pit half-asleep, the casual intimacy between Cass and Stephanie—he was fairly sure that Cass was a beta, but it was hard to tell with all the competing scents. Either way, he was certain that they were a pair. Less certain about whether they were exclusive, because from the scent of the bedding alone he knew that Bruce and Dick shared Tim, but Jason wouldn’t mind if they wanted to share him with the girls too. Not if they gave him gentle touches like that.

“Look left.” 

The quiet direction didn’t pull Jason out of his headspace, and he felt his eyes slipping shut without his permission as Bruce continued to work. 

Something warm and damp enveloped the back of his head, around to his ears. Bruce massaged the area firmly, rubbing away whatever he’d used to grease Jason’s scalp. 

The frosty morning air seemed so much colder when he pulled the cloth away, waking Jason up from the peaceful place he had fallen, reminding him quite suddenly that he had to be careful. Ma had been nice in the beginning too, warm and welcoming and kind right up until she’d left him at the feet of a brute, six months pregnant. Until Bruce or Dick claimed him, he wouldn’t truly be safe among them. Letting his guard down like that was just asking to be hurt.

“Turn around for me?”

Jason shuffled on his knees until he was facing Bruce, and the position felt all the more vulnerable for it. He was painfully aware that he was head-level with Bruce’s crotch. 

Bruce rested two fingers against Jason’s jaw, guiding him to turn his head one way, then the other, inspecting his work. He smiled, sending a fission of relief running through Jason.

“It looks good. I think Stephanie has a mirror somewhere, if you want to see.”

Jason gave him a small smile, relaxing a little as Bruce combed his fingers through the hair on the top of Jason’s head. It felt natural to lean forward and press his face against Bruce’s groin. Here, in front of everyone, Bruce would be able to better assert his dominance and mark Jason’s place within the pack while also showing that he was one of them.

Bruce’s hand tightened in his hair, then pulled him away. 

Glancing up, confused, Jason froze at the dark look on Bruce’s face.

“We don’t need that from you, Jason. You don’t need to proposition us as any form of payment. The only reason that you’re sleeping with us instead of in the cabin with Alfred is because Stephanie has nightmares when she sleeps around Omegas. Please don’t do it again.” Bruce let go of him and stood up, stepping around him. “Alfred, do you need any help?”

Jason took quick, desperate breaths. They didn’t want him. They didn’t want him in their pack, and he wasn’t allowed to pay them back for their kindness or generosity. He knew what that meant. Every omega knew what that meant, when their debt was bigger than anything they could offer in exchange. 

They would sell him.

It was the only other option, and if they knew about his pup, then they would wait until after it was born and sell it too. After all, no alpha wanted an omega knocked up by someone else, it would decrease his value. No, he’d be worth more separate from the pup, while he was still lactating.

Thick sobs clawed their way up his throat, and he quickly slipped out of camp in the general direction of the latrine. He’d have his breakdown in private, it was better if they didn’t know how much this bothered him, then he’d do everything in his power to try to convince them that he could be useful. It was the only option left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consent issues: Jason tries to get Dick and later Bruce to sexually claim him, because he thinks that's the only way he could become part of the pack. They both refuse, and that leaves him rather devastated.
> 
> Drug use: Jason reflects on times he's been given pills in the past, and what they have done. It is very clear that he was not allowed to say no in those instances.
> 
> Forced miscarriage: Jason has several thoughts about how he's 'lost' pups in the past, and one memory that's a bit more detailed. Still mostly vague implications, but these kinds of thoughts and feelings will be common throughout the story.
> 
> Suicidal ideation: There is one line where Jason thinks about how he'd rather die than go back to Roman. This is the only time it comes up, but I thought it warranted a special note, just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: All of the themes from before still apply, and Jason sees something he probably shouldn't have ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one!! You get to learn a little about how everyone came together. :)

Tim settled in against Dick’s side, humming lightly in approval when his alpha rested an arm around his shoulders. Bruce wasn’t much for PDA, but Dick could always be counted on for a spontaneous cuddle. 

They’d finished the labor-intensive part of setting up camp earlier, and now were just enjoying the warmth from the fire before bed. Bruce had gathered them all around, pulling in some fallen logs to sit on, and Tim had an idea of what he had planned, but was content to enjoy the silence until Bruce got his act together.

Bruce finally quit playing with the fire and cleared his throat. “I was thinking that it would be beneficial for us all to get to know each other a little better.”

Tim smothered a bout of giggles as best he could. Bruce’s robot tendencies always came out stronger when he had to act like a real person, it never failed to further endear Tim. 

Bruce turned to Jason specifically, offering, “We can tell you our stories, and in turn, you can tell us yours.”

Jason white-knuckle-gripped the piece of paper that Bruce had managed to dig up earlier, then nodded shakily. 

“We’re from Gotham,” Bruce started. “Tim, Stephanie, and I were all born there, although we didn’t meet until much later. Alfred was the head of my parents' household staff, but has always been a father figure for me. W e met Dick when I was twenty two. Dick and his birth pack were acrobats in a circus, and while they were performing in Gotham there was an accident. A mobster had tampered with the equipment, and his parents fell.”

Tim squeezed Dick’s hand. It happened a long time ago, but he knew how much his alpha missed them.

“I was there when it happened, and offered to take him in as I had witnessed my own parents’ deaths. We clashed a lot, in the beginning. He didn’t want another parent, and I thought that was what was expected. We found better footing as he got older, and worked better as partners and friends. Where are you from, Jason?” 

Jason swallowed hard, then started carefully writing on his paper with the help of a book underneath for support. 

It was too dark for Tim to see much else, but Alfred looked down at the page when Jason angled it to him and read it aloud for the rest of the pack.

“It would seem that Master Jason is from Gotham as well.” He paused as Jason added something else. “Park Row, to be precise.”

“Oh hey.” Stephanie perked up. “We were neighbors! I grew up in the Bowery. Did you ever eat at Mima’s?”

Jason started to shake his head, then stopped and slowly nodded.

“She made the  _ best _ pizza.” Stephanie sighed dreamily, clearly missing said pizza, and Tim caught the small smile that crossed Jason’s face. 

“Is food what you miss most from Before?” Tim teased.

She blew a raspberry at him, but relaxed back against Cass.

“I joined the pack during the Fall,” he explained, picking up where Bruce had left off. “My parents were abroad at the time, and when everything started to happen, well, I knew I wouldn’t be safe on my own. We were neighbors and had met on several occasions, but never really interacted before then. When it became clear that society was well on its way to anarchy, we decided it would be safest for us to get away from the city and started living the rugged life.” He gestured to the woods around them. “I was pretty young at the time, not quite sixteen, but I knew I wanted to be their omega in the traditional sense.”

Dick snorted, squeezing Tim’s side. “Let it be known that Tim is a stubborn brat and will always get what he wants.”

Tim scowled, pressing his elbow threateningly against Dick’s ribs. “Yeah, it just took three damn years to get it because  _ you two _ are more stubborn than a brick wall.”

“We waited until you were eighteen, and you know exactly why.” Bruce was sitting ramrod straight like he did every time the topic came up, but by now they all knew that Tim just liked to tease them.

“I know, Bruce.” A smile played at his lips. “And I do appreciate it, now.” Tim turned towards Jason, and it might have been the lighting, but the other omega looked a little paler than he had a few moments ago. “How about you, Jason? How old are you?”

Licking his lips, Jason scrawled something on his paper.

“How long has it been since the Fall?” Alfred asked, looking at Jason for confirmation.

Jason nodded.

“It has been six years since the Fall. Seven, once spring arrives.”

Jason frowned and carefully counted on his fingers, then wrote something down for Alfred to read.

“Ah, twenty three is a good age. A lot of life still lays before you,” Alfred told him.

Shrugging, Jason curled up around his paper a little.

Stephanie, thankfully, cut through the silence before it could get too heavy. “Well you can’t stop there! You’re just getting to the fun part. Go on, Bruce. Tell them how you met me and Cass.” She rested her weight on her hands, the picture of confidence, but Tim could tell how nervous she was. Stephanie hated talking about the years in between the Fall and joining the pack.

“There’s another pack that we do a lot of trade with,” Bruce explained. “They’re on the edges of the city, and you might be familiar with them. Have you heard of Oracle's Trading Run?”

Jason’s eyes widened and he nodded. It wasn’t surprising. Barbara had organized one of the smoothest supply runs on the eastern seaboard. Her suppliers and depots were the only true neutral ground anymore; gangs, alpha packs, and normal folk all went to her for goods they couldn’t make themselves, and it was the one thing that still gave Tim hope in society.

“This pack runs one of Oracle’s depots. We trade furs and jerky in the winter and vegetables in the summer in exchange for fuel and other supplies. During one of our visits, we met Cass.”

Cass lifted her hand in a small wave.

“She was new to Barbara’s pack, and didn’t like being so close to the city, so she came to stay with us. It was a slow transition, she traveled between our packs a lot, but on her last trip she brought Stephanie with her.” Bruce waved for Stephanie to pick up the story.

“Cass pulled me half-dead out of a dumpster,” Stephanie said with a grimace. “Most of her visits back to Barbara’s pack were to see how I was recovering. By the time I was healthy enough to be out from under a doctor’s supervision, we were pretty attached, so I came with her and joined the boys. That was, what? Almost two years ago? Yeah, definitely don’t miss ‘city life.’” She used her fingers to draw quotes in the air, voice bitter.

Bruce cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “Jason, before you came to us, did one of the gangs have you?”

Jason shrank back a little, then squeezed his eyes closed and nodded.

“Could you tell us which one? We keep an eye out for the False Facers, just in case they try to come after Stephanie, and we’d like to do the same—”

Jason lurched to his feet, cutting Bruce off. The book, paper, and pen fell to the ground, forgotten in the dirt as he stared at Stephanie with wild eyes. He flicked his fingers in some kind of aborted motion, but it clearly meant something important because Stephanie started cussing.

“Oh, holy shit.” She stood up, twisting her fingers together weirdly.

* * *

Jason sucked in harsh breaths, watching Stephanie twist her fingers into the sign for hope.

_ Be careful. _

_ Stay hopeful. _

She was—she. She was one of the betas. One of the betas they’d give to clients who hadn’t earned an omega. 

He felt his worldview tip on its axis just enough to send him to his knees. Alfred caught him before he could hit the ground, easing him down into the dirt gently.

“Careful, we don’t need any injuries here,” he soothed, rubbing his hand along Jason’s back to try and calm him.

Stephanie closed the distance between them, ignoring the rest of the pack and whatever they might be trying to ask. “It’s okay, these people are safe.” She sank to her knees, reaching out to grip his hands tightly. “They hate the False Facers almost as much as we do, they won’t ever let you get hurt like that again. I promise.” 

He wanted to believe her, she sounded so earnest, and everyone was kind of hovering nearby. They looked like they wanted to try and comfort him as well, which was hard to understand. Bruce had been clear, Jason wasn’t there to join their pack, but maybe… maybe that would be okay. If they didn’t sell him to one of the gangs, would specifically protect him from them, maybe he could trust them to find other good alphas when it was time to sell him.

“Were they the ones to…” Stephanie trailed off, raising her hand so that her fingers hovered over the ugly scar on his throat.

He nodded. Roman had given him warnings, but sometimes Jason just didn’t know how to shut his mouth. It’d been his own fault, but it still hurt to know that he’d never be able to talk again. Was at the mercy of the people around him to have patience when he wanted to communicate. 

“They hurt me too,” She confessed quietly, drawing his gaze up from where it’d fallen to the ground. She twisted, pulling at the neckline of her shirt until her shoulder was bared. 

The skin on her shoulder blade was raised, shiny and white in a familiar shape. The skull branded there matched his, and it was strange to see it on someone else’s skin. 

“Everywhere else too,” she added with a humorless grin, pulling up her shirt, “but that’s the one I hate the most.”

He nodded, understanding the feeling. With a careful glance at the others, he hesitantly lifted his shirt and pushed down the hem of his pants, showing her his matching brand.

“Damn,” she murmured. “Black Mask liked you?”

That was one way to say it. Wincing, he nodded again. Roman had enjoyed handling Jason personally, and he had gotten far less leeway in his daily life for it.

“I didn’t see him all that much, not until the end, but… he left an impression.” She grimaced.

He gave her a solemn look. If Roman had left her for dead in a dumpster, he had no doubt the kind of impression she’d received. He’d witnessed those kinds of punishments before.

She smiled over her shoulder at Bruce, then turned back to Jason. “These guys helped me get better. They can help you too, if you want.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what ‘better’ meant, but it looked like food and kindness, and hopefully someday a pack that was as kind as this one. He could live for that.

* * *

Jason shifted, one hand dropping down to press against his pelvis. There was a bit of a persistent ache deep in his gut, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the pills Alfred had been giving him, or something else entirely. It was radiating more outwards than in the middle, and that was the only thing giving him hope that the baby was okay.

He slid the heel of his palm along his hip and turned his attention back to the task at hand, that being Alfred’s grammar lesson with Cass. 

Cass stared at the old beta with intense focus, whispering the rules to herself as Alfred wrote examples out on the notebook in his hands.

“Master Jason.”

He startled at the sound of his name. It was still strange to be addressed with any kind of title, but Alfred had a way of talking that made it seem less like he was subservient and more like he was offering a sign of respect. That didn’t make it any less weird, though.

“Why don’t you give it a try? Just identify any errors you see in this sentence.” Alfred handed him the leather-bound notebook, pointing at the sentence in question.

He was nervous for all of one second, then realized that the sentence ended in a comma and gave Alfred an incredulous look. Lifting a hand, he pointed at the offending punctuation.

“Very good. Would you like to circle that one?” Alfred held his pen out for him to take.

Jason took the pen and carefully circled the comma, then paused and pointed at the start of the sentence that wasn’t capitalized. 

“Indeed. Circle everything that you can find wrong,” he said, handing Jason the notebook.

The hard part was figuring out what  _ wasn’t _ wrong, what the sentence was actually trying to say. Once he figured out that much, it was easy to circle the ‘are’ that needed to be ‘is’ and the space where an apostrophe was needed in ‘it’s.’ When he was confident he’d found as many errors as he could, he handed the notebook back to Alfred. 

Alfred read over it, a slow smile growing on his face. “Why this looks wonderful, dear boy. Have some confidence! You seemed so hesitant, but you did not miss a thing.”

“Alfred!” The shout came from the other side of the cabin and had just a hint of desperation in it. Just enough to have Alfred pushing himself to his feet without hesitation.

“Ah, it would appear that Master Bruce requires my assistance in building the lavatories. Master Cassandra, perhaps you would like to begin teaching young Jason some of your signs?” 

She nodded with an excited smile.

“Perfect. Master Jason, I would like you to keep that notebook for the foreseeable future. You are welcome to fill its pages with anything you’d like, and I look forward to learning more about you through it until you can communicate without.”

Jason ran his fingers over the leather binding in awe. Alfred was giving him the notebook? Or at the very least, loaning it to him for the express intent of using it?

He hurriedly scrawled ‘Thank you’ in blocky letters, holding it up for Alfred to read.

“You are most welcome, young sir.” Alfred nodded to them both then backed away towards the cabin. “I shall return shortly, but please come fetch us if either of you need anything!”

Cass lifted her hand in a small wave, then turned towards Jason, pulling one leg up onto the log for balance. 

“Cass,” she said, holding out her hand. 

It was the first time he’d ever heard her talk, but he found himself instantly liking her voice. It was soft and warm and overall just very pleasant. He shook her hand, momentarily surprised by how strong her grip was.

As he drew his hand back, a bold scent caught his attention. Something earthy and rich, like the ground after fresh rain. It was unmistakably alpha, and he realized quite suddenly that it was Cass. It was her scent. Cass was an alpha, not a beta.

His surprise must have shown on his face, because she offered him half a smile and pulled down the neck of her sweater, baring her throat and the thin white lines running up either side, where her scent glands used to be.

“My sire. He was not kind,” she explained, each word spoken with careful intention. “Scent reveals emotion, so no scent. Words are not used for truth, so no words. No words for years. Now? I’m learning words, but difficult. Very difficult. Hands and body are easy.” She pulled the collar of her sweater back up. “I teach you to talk with hands too?”

Jason licked his lips, considering all of the trauma she had just revealed in a few short sentences, then nodded. This pack was strange, bringing in damaged people and helping them heal, helping him heal even though he was just temporary. He’d never seen an alpha like Cass before, soft-spoken and quiet—both verbally and physically. He found himself looking forward to learning from her.

“Good.” She made a gesture. “Good morning.”

Cautiously, he mimicked the gesture.  _ ‘Good morning.’  _

She grinned broadly, the smile so infectious it spread across Jason’s face as well.

Cass made another gesture. “How are you?”

* * *

Jason winced, pulling out his cock. The soreness in his pelvis was getting worse, and his genitals were starting to get swollen. He knew something was wrong, he’d known for a while now, but he’d hoped it would go away on its own. It hadn’t.

He relieved himself, then pushed out of the small outhouse and washed his hands with the water dispenser Bruce had hung on the wall of the cabin. A tub underneath it caught the water for use on wash day, and would stay outside until the weather turned truly freezing. 

Hands clean, he turned back towards the camp. Everyone was spread out tackling different tasks, and it was weird to have so little supervision, but Alfred was almost always available and welcomed the help.

He approached carefully, waiting until the beta looked up and saw him before getting too close.

“Ah, Master Jason, I was wondering where you might have gone off to. I was just getting ready to mend some clothing if you would like to assist me?”

Jason nodded automatically, then paused, because he really did need to tell someone, and Alfred had been the one to handle all the pills so far. He lifted his hands, pressing the middle finger of each hand to his forehead and chest. Cass had taught him the sign a few days ago, but he was still shaky on actually using the gestures to communicate.

“Sick?” Alfred’s eyebrows rose. “You’re feeling ill? How so?”

That was a bit beyond Jason’s signing, so he gestured for Alfred to follow him into the cabin where he’d left his notebook. It was tiny inside, a few mattresses pressed against one wall, a fireplace on the other, and a loft area for storage, there wasn’t a whole lot of space to move around in. However, there were a few small stools that they could use, and it was easy enough to pull them out and take a seat.

He picked his notepad up from where he’d tucked it against the wall, safe from humidity, and started carefully writing. His penmanship had improved a lot since Alfred had started teaching him, but it was still slow going. 

He explained that the pain had started over a week ago, that it was getting worse, and that he was worried about it causing damage if he left it any longer.

Alfred read his message, expression serious as he took the time to make sure he understood what Jason was describing. 

“Well, my boy,” he said, handing the notepad back to Jason, “I’m afraid this is a bit beyond my area of expertise. I don’t have the medication that can fight that kind of infection, but I know someone who does. Are you, by chance, familiar with Dr. Leslie Thompkins?”

The name was a hard reminder from his past, of visiting the clinic with his mother when she was sick, and later by himself when she was dead. Doc Thompkins had always been generous, the kind of person who rarely survived in Crime Alley, but she’d carved her place into the cesspit, and Gotham had been better for it. It was a miracle that she’d survived.

He nodded quickly, realizing that he hadn’t answered Alfred’s question.

“Well, she runs a clinic still, in the depot that Barbara’s pack operates. She should be able to help if you’re willing to go with us into town?”

The very idea of going anywhere near Gotham made his skin crawl, but if she was the doctor, and it was the only option… He nodded.

Alfred dipped his chin sharply. “Very good. We should go tomorrow, before the infection spreads further. I’m afraid that Bruce is out setting up traps, and Cassandra has taken Stephanie to collect wood for our stores. None of them will return for some time, but I believe Richard and Timothy are nearby. They should be collecting more water from the river just south.” Alfred gestured for Jason to follow him, leading him out of the cabin and pointing out a rough trail leading away from camp. “The trail is still being worn in, but the trees should be marked along the way so you can get there and back. I will need to prepare the furs for transport and a list of goods to collect. Are you comfortable going on your own to fetch them?”

He hadn’t really had a chance to explore the woods around camp, so going in without a guide was probably not the best idea, but if the trees were marked… Nodding, Jason broadened his shoulders. He could go get them. 

“Thank you.” Alfred clapped him on the shoulder, then side stepped to pull a metal pail away from the fire. “Take this with you. If you need us to find you, hit it against a tree or with a rock. I will be listening, and I’m sure it will draw everyone’s attention.”

Jason gladly accepted the pail which boosted his confidence about wandering into the woods alone.

The marks in the trees were easy to see, thick cuts at eye level every three or four yards. He followed the faint trail, walking deeper into the forest as the sounds of running water slowly grew louder.

It was unfortunate, how the burbling water distracted him. It might have spared him a little bit of embarrassment. 

“Fuck.”

The quiet curse drew Jason’s attention and he instinctively ducked down low, looking for the source of the sound. It wasn’t hard to find. 

A few yards to the left Tim was bent over, leaning against a tree with Dick pressed against his back. Neither were wearing pants, and nothing about what they were doing was left to the imagination.

Dick pulled back, then pressed his hips forward, and a soft high noise from Tim carried over the sound of the river.

“God, babybird.” Dick clearly had no desire to keep his voice down in the remote location, and it carried to Jason far too easily. “You’re so tight.” The alpha tucked his nose in against the skin under Tim’s ear.

“Hah!” Tim threw his head back against Dick’s shoulder as Dick started truly thrusting. “It’s—mm… It’s been a while.”

“A long while,” Dick agreed. He pulled away, leaning back to shift the angles of his thrusts, something Tim seemed to appreciate. “Shit, look at you, baby.” And Dick was  _ looking. _

Tim groaned, scrabbling for purchase against the tree as he shifted up onto his toes. “C’mon,  _ Dick! _ ”

“Shh, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Dick slid his hand around to the front of Tim’s hips, reaching down to— 

It occurred to Jason that he really,  _ really _ should not be watching. That if either of them realized they had an audience, it would not end well at all.

He shifted, pointedly keeping his eyes on the ground and not the couple in front of him. Taking quick, careful steps, he hurried back the way he came as silently as possible, only looking up to check the location of each marked tree along the path.

Bursting out of the bushed, he startled Alfred who was near the fire with a piece of paper.

“Good heavens, are you alright?”

Jason nodded quickly, holding out the pail for him to take.

“Are Timothy and Richard coming? What happened?” 

Shaking his head, Jason signed ‘ _ Tired, _ ’ and stepped around Alfred, shuffling his way towards the truck. He’d lay down for a while, and hopefully no one would ask too many questions later.

* * *

Tim stumbled back into the camp helping Dick haul the sled with the refilled water barrel. He felt more at ease and relaxed than he had since Jason’s arrival, playfully bumping his shoulder against Dick’s.

Dick leaned into the touch, sending Tim one of those sweet, intimate smiles that he loved so much.

“There you are.”

Tim straightened at the sound of Alfred’s voice. He did not sound pleased, but Tim had no idea what they’d done wrong. They hadn’t taken  _ that _ long, right?

“Where were you two?”

Dick glanced at Tim in confusion. “Out getting water?”

Alfred glared at them in a way that clearly said he did not believe them at all. “I sent Jason to go find you a short while ago, and he said he couldn’t find you. The poor boy was quite upset.”

Tim blinked, because they hadn’t gone off the trail at all. Jason should have easily been able to—he blanched as his thoughts caught up to him of what  _ exactly _ Jason had likely found.

A quietly murmured “Fuck,” proved that Dick had come to the same conclusion. 

Alfred was not impressed. "Indeed. I do understand that you have less privacy than you are used to, but please at least attempt for subtlety in the future."

Tim's face was on fire, his earlier glow fading under the onslaught of embarrassment. 

"I strongly suggest you both bathe before bed. We'll be traveling to the city tomorrow and I'm sure Jason will sleep better for it."

Tim took a subtle sniff, trying to figure out if the sex-smell was really that obvious. They'd both washed up, but clearly not well enough. 

"Wait, what?" Dick sounded baffled, and Tim had to replay Alfred's comment to figure out where the confusion came into play. "Why are we going into the city?"

They usually went to Barbara's outpost after the first snowfall to get supplies, but it was still too early in the season to warrant a trip now. 

"Jason isn't feeling well, and I thought that a visit with Dr. Thompkins was pertinent."

Tim straightened up in alarm. "Is he okay? What's wrong?"

"I do not believe it is any of your business," Alfred chided him gently. "But I am sure it is nothing too serious, just beyond my abilities to treat. Now come, I need help finishing the inventory." 

They both followed him to the cabin, suitably cowed. Tim couldn't meet Jason's eye all night, but it was worth it when Bruce pressed a kiss to his hair and lingered, breathing in the combination of scents from earlier. He joined them in bath time after dinner. It was freezing out in the woods behind the cabin, but it was perfect.

They'd just have to find a better solution in the future since Jason was going to be around for a while. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This one has the medical exam, and some blink-and-you'll-miss-it implied underage. Jump to the bottom if you need more details on that one. <3 
> 
> Enjoy!

Jason clung to Bruce's back as they drove down the freeway, the hard edges of Bruce’s rifle digging into his chest and the wind stinging his cheeks. 

They'd decided that Bruce and Dick would be the only ones to accompany him into the city, not willing to risk bringing Stephanie or Tim into town unnecessarily and unwilling to leave them behind alone.

The drive took most of the morning, but overall wasn't as long as the trip between campsites. 

The trees started thinning, and he could see the desolate tops of skyscrapers in the distance. It sent a shiver down his spine and he hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. He'd vowed he'd never go back, yet here he was not even two months later. With any luck they'd be able to leave quickly. 

Bruce directed them through the suburbs, avoiding crossing over into the city proper in favor of sticking to the edges. Trashed apartment buildings surrounded them, broken glass littered the ground, and rusted-out cars blocked most of the alleyways. 

There wasn't a soul in sight for miles, not until they turned a corner and drove around a small cluster of betas, then suddenly there were people on every corner. He ducked his head down, hiding his face when he recognized some of the gang symbols in a nearby group. Not the False Facers, but he had no interest in being recognized by the Falcones either.

They approached what once might have been a strip mall, several small stores all connected in a bustling hub that seemed to be what had drawn so many people. The lines between each pack or gang were clear. No one talked outside of their cluster, and the overwhelming scents from so many posturing alphas made Jason gag. 

No one was fighting, though. Glaring warily at one another and sometimes snarling, yes. But Jason couldn't smell any blood. That probably had a lot to do with the armed guards posted around the parking lot, but he’d take what he could get.

Bruce pulled into the parking lot, ignoring all the people gathered around a group of motorcycles in favor of driving up to one of the guards. 

“I’m Bruce. Barbara should have me on her list.”

The guard nodded and radioed in Bruce’s name for confirmation, then waved them back behind the building. It looked like some kind of bizarre flea market, people stationed at various tables negotiating over whatever goods happened to be piled on it. One of them looked like the person was trading reams of paper, which explained where Bruce had found the notebook that Jason used.

They pulled up to one of the empty tables and parked the ATVs just in time for a woman to push through one of the back service doors. 

Jason hopped off the ATV after Bruce, hitching his bag up higher on his shoulder. He looked up only to find himself stalling behind Bruce. The woman was in a wheelchair, and she navigated through the foot traffic with ease.

“Bruce!” she called, not that she needed to do anything to get Bruce’s attention. “I wasn’t expecting you to come by for another few weeks, is everything alright?”

“We’re fine,” he assured her. “We just had something minor crop up, and I was hoping Dr. Thompkins had some availability?” 

“Of course.” She nodded, then looked past the alpha to catch Jason’s eye. “Who’s this?”

Bruce shifted, no longer letting Jason hide behind those massive shoulders. “This is Jason. Jason, meet Barbara. She runs the depot here and leads the pack that I mentioned.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jason.” She held out her hand, looking at him in a way that demanded eye contact.

He nodded in greeting, hesitantly shaking her hand. Even if he had his voice, he’d still be shocked speechless. She was a beta. A beta, and yet she had an air of confidence that demanded civility and attention. He’d never seen anyone like her before, and it was hard to wrap his head around it. He wasn’t sure if Bruce just surrounded himself with people who broke the norm, or if Jason’s idea of normal wasn’t as common as he’d thought. Either way, he was getting tired of having his assumptions proved wrong.

“Duke!” Barbara called over one of the nearby guards. “Negotiate with Dick, I’ll be back in a minute.”

She didn’t wait to see if he would listen, trusting that her order would be followed. She led them to a service door down the line, rapping her knuckles against the scuffed metal. Something heavy and metal scraped against the inside as it was unlocked, then it opened outwards a few inches to confirm who it was.

“Hey, boss.” The door opened wider, revealing a stunning blonde alpha. 

“Hey, Dinah. Could you ask Leslie if she’s able to squeeze in another patient today?”

Dinah stepped out of the doorway and gestured for them to enter. “It’s a slow day, I don’t see why she wouldn’t be able to.” Her eyes glanced over Jason. “I think exam room three is open?”

“That should work.” Barbara spun back towards Bruce and Jason. “I have to go, but Dinah will take it from here. Let me know if you need anything?”

Bruce smiled, resting his fingers lightly on her shoulder. “Thank you, Barbara. We’ve got it from here.”

She nodded to him, then smiled up at Jason. “It was nice to meet you, Jason. Hopefully we’ll have better opportunities to get to know each other in the future.”

Jason tried to smile in return, but it was definitely more of a grimace. The hallway was cramped, and smelled like sickness and anxiety, which certainly wasn’t helping his own growing nervousness. He didn’t have many good memories associated with doctor visits. 

Dinah led them to a small room with a padded table that smelled aggressively like scent neutralizer, then left them there. 

The silence felt heavy around them, oppressive in a way that it usually wasn’t with Bruce. Jason sat on the padded table, curling his shoulders in to unconsciously make himself smaller. 

He tried not to think, tried to just focus on breathing and not thinking, just simply counting breaths to keep his scent from souring. 

On breath three hundred fifty two, a soft knock made him jump, both of them startling a second before the door opened. 

“Hello!” Leslie Thompkins was… old. 

Jason felt guilty for thinking it, but his most recent memory of her had been before the Fall, and life had been hard on everyone who had survived. Deep lines had carved their way around her mouth and eyes, and her hair was more white than grey at this point. No doubt due to stress.

“Leslie, it’s good to see you.” Bruce smiled, straightening up from where he’d been leaning against the wall. “This is Jason. He’s been staying with us for the past week, and we thought it would be a good idea to come in.”

“It’s good to meet you—Jason?” Dr. Thompkins paused, giving him a second look over. “Jason Todd?”

He lifted his hand in a small wave. She remembered him? After all these years?

“My god, I thought—nevermind that. How are you? And how did you end up with Bruce?”

Jason sent Bruce a desperate look. He didn’t even know where to begin. 

Bruce cleared his throat. “Jason can’t talk. He’s been learning some signs from Cass, but we mostly use his notebook to communicate.”

“I see.” Dr. Thompkins sent him a concerned look. “You have your notebook with you?”

Jason nodded, pulling it out of his bag. 

“In that case, would you be comfortable if we continued without Bruce’s presence? He can wait nearby, but I think it will be best if you’re able to talk freely.”

If it were anyone else, Jason would have immediately said no, but Dr. Thompkins used to be a friend, the only person he’d trusted with his mom’s health while she was alive. She already knew some of his darkest secrets, things that he would definitely prefer Bruce never found out.

He nodded, and Bruce excused himself with a smile.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” Dr. Thompkins said once the door closed behind the alpha.

Grinning, he scrawled out a quick ‘Same.’

“I’d like to spend the day catching up, but I’m afraid we’re short on time. What made you decide to come in?”

‘I’ve been having pain in my groin, and swelling. Alfred thinks it’s an infection?’

She hummed lightly as she read through his description. “I’m going to have you give me a urine sample. It should be pretty quick to determine what’s going on, but I’d like to take a blood sample too. It will take longer to get results from that, but it will make sure you don’t have any other infections that are hiding under the surface. Has Alfred been helping you with your nutrition?”

‘Yes. Lots of vitamins, and I’m allowed to eat meat soon.’

“Perfect. I trust Alfred. Tried to convince him to join my staff for a while, but it wasn’t the place for him.” She paused as she rifled through a drawer for supplies, sending him a heavy look. “You can trust him too, if you were worried. He and Bruce are good people—the rest of the pack too. Cassandra and Stephanie are the only ones I haven’t known for years, but I got to know them two years ago and am willing to vouch for their characters.”

He twisted his fingers together, watching his hands in favor of acknowledging her words. He knew that she was right. He'd never met anyone as generous as Bruce, but she was talking like he had the option to stay. Like she thought they were bringing him into their pack. She might be saying something else if she knew, but he owed it to Bruce to let the alpha keep his reputation.

“Are you okay?” 

He looked up at her, surprised that she’d gotten so close while he was lost in thought. Her concern was palpable, though, and he offered her a half-smile and a nod. He wasn’t  _ good, _ per say, but he was alright. More alright than he’d been for close to a decade.

Her gaze slipped down, and it was obvious what she was looking at. He tipped his head back to give her a better view of the scar on his throat.

“Is this why you can’t talk?”

He jerked his chin in a tiny nod, feeling her hands come up to feel along his windpipe. 

Her hands paused, fingers pressed against either side of his trachea. “Try to make a vowel sound. ‘Ah’ or ‘oh’ or something.”

Opening his mouth, his lips formed the shape and he carefully breathed out. Just like every time, there was a moment where he expected it to work, anticipated a soft ‘ah,’ but it never came. Just like every time, the disappointment crushed him.

“The muscles here are still moving properly…” Dr. Thompkins took a step back and studied him for a moment. “Jason, while you’re here, can I take a look down your throat? It won’t be comfortable in the slightest, especially if you have a strong gag reflex, but if the problem is muscular I might be able to fix it. Severed nerves are a bit beyond my capabilities, but if there’s even a chance that it’s muscular, don’t you think it’s better we find out?”

He stared at her, trying to quash the hope that was rising within him. It was a chance, a very small chance, but he had to at least try.

‘I want to find out,’ he wrote. ‘And I don’t have a gag reflex, so don’t worry about that.’

“Perfect.” She handed him a small plastic container that was resting on the counter. “I need you to pee in this. It doesn’t need to be completely full, but as much as you can. I’m going to go get the equipment ready, and we can see what’s going on in your larynx while we wait for the results to come back.”

Accepting the small plastic container, he waited for her to leave, then stood up and pushed down his pants. He filled it as much as he could, but he hadn’t had anything to drink since breakfast early that morning so it was still less than half the container. He wasn’t sure what to do with it after, so he set it back on the counter and waited for Dr. Thompkins to return. 

She didn’t take long. 

A soft rap sounded on the door before it opened just a crack.

“If you’re ready, don’t make any noise. If you need another minute, either stomp your foot or clap.”

Jason stayed silent.

The door opened the rest of the way, revealing Dr. Thompkins pushing a cart of equipment and a young man behind her. 

“Jason, this is Marcus, one of my assistants. I was hoping you’d be okay with him taking your blood sample while I set up? I can do it if you’d prefer that, but frankly, he’s better at it than I am.”

Marcus looked friendly enough, and if Dr. Thompkins trusted him… Jason looked up at the doctor and nodded.

“Wonderful. Thank you, Jason.”

Jason tried to focus on Dr. Thompkins while his blood was drawn, taking deep breaths of the comforting pheromones that both betas were putting out. Marcus was nice and professional, and the anxiety of having a stranger in his personal space was worse than the actual blood draw, but it was over far faster than he had expected.

Jason was still blinking dumbly at the ball of cotton taped to his arm when Marcus took his leave, telling Dr. Thompkins, “I’ll get the urinalysis and antibody results to you as soon as they come out.”

“Thank you, Marcus. Could you have Selena look at the patient in room two?”

“Sure thing, doc.” He shut the door behind him, leaving Jason alone with Dr. Thompkins once more.

“Okay, I think I’m ready.” She twisted the cart and pushed it into place next to the exam table. Holding up a strange metal… thing, she explained, “This is an endoscope. It has a flashlight and a small camera on the tip that will let me see what’s going on in your larynx on this computer, and shouldn’t be too invasive. I’m going to go in through your mouth to the back of your throat, then have you say ‘ah.’ It might make you want to gag, it will probably make you want to cough. If at any point you need to stop, tap my leg, clap your hands, hit the bed, anything. Any sudden movement from you and I’ll pull back to let you recover, okay?”

Jason nodded.

“Do you need a drink or anything before we begin? I can go get Bruce if you’d like?”

He shook his head. No, he’d rather it just get over and done with.

“Alright. Try and focus on the wall behind me, and open your mouth.” She pressed something against his tongue until he got the message and flattened it as much as he could, then something cold and metallic brushed against the back of his tongue. 

He didn’t gag, but the urge to cough was intense and hard to resist.

“Say ‘ah.’”

Breathing out, he tried to make the sound.

“Again.”

He did it again.

“Perfect.” She pulled the endoscope out, setting it on a rag on the cart. Turning the computer to face him, she pointed at something on the screen. “Look here.” She pressed a key, and the soft pink, fleshy, franky gross-looking… things started to move. “Those are your vocal folds. I was worried that you had vocal paralysis, because I’m not a neurosurgeon and it’s well beyond my capabilities to fix that, but look. They’re moving, just not touching. You can see the scar tissue here,” she pointed at an area that was whiter and bulky-looking compared to the rest of the… stuff, “but I think if I trim some of that down and reattach this area that’s fallen away from the larynx wall… Jason, I think I can give you your voice back.”

She… she could fix it? 

He clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that were trying to choke him. He hadn’t dared to hope—he’d thought that— 

Dr. Thompkins wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in so that he could fall apart against her shoulder.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, I’ll take care of you.” She murmured quiet reassurances, not promising that everything would be fine, but that she’d do her best to help him heal. 

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, with him sobbing himself dry and feeling truly, completely safe for the first time in over a decade. By the time they were roused by a knock on the door, he was half asleep and more than ready to head back to camp. 

Dr. Thompkins got up and spoke with whoever was at the door, coming back to lean her hip against the exam table with a folder in her hands. She flicked through the pages for a moment, reading through the results in what felt like a surreal flashback to the normalcy of Before. 

“It looks like your pain is coming from early stages of pelvic inflammatory disease, caused by chlamydia. The infection is easily treated by an antibiotic, and I can give you a low dose of ibuprofen for the inflammation, but Jason.” She closed the folder, looking at him with her brows pinched together in concern. “Did you know you’re pregnant?”

He looked down at his hands and nodded. 

“We can get a more accurate reading when your blood test comes back, but it looks like you’re between six and eight weeks along. Does that sound right?”

He picked up his notebook from where it’d gotten pushed to the side, scrawling down, ‘8-9 weeks.’ Math might not be a strength of his, but he knew how to count days and weeks, and he knew that keeping track was important.

“Do you know who the sire is?”

She didn’t sound judgemental, and heavens knew that she’d heard worse from him before—she’d treated him for syphilis when he was fourteen, after all—but he still felt a deep sense of shame when he had to shake his head. Roman had always claimed the first day of his heats, but there’d been two other alphas over the course of that week, and any one of them could be the sire.

“Do Bruce or Alfred know?”

He looked up in alarm, shaking his head wildly. They couldn’t know, he couldn’t tell them this early, when it would be easy to force him to miscarry. If he waited, they would be more likely to let the pup live, and even if Jason never got to see his baby grow up, at least they’d be alive.

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m not telling anyone, you know I won’t.”

Jason fought to get his breathing under control, trying to stop panicking at the very idea that Bruce could find out. He would, eventually, and Jason needed to be prepared for that. Would need to be prepared to hear what Bruce planned on doing to the pup.

“Jason!” Dr. Thompkins snapped at him, pulling him back to the present. “I am your doctor. You are my patient. Nothing discussed in this room leaves this room, do you understand?”

He nodded miserably.

She was quiet for a long moment, then asked, “You know that Bruce wouldn’t hurt you for being pregnant, right? And if, for any reason, you think that he might hurt you or the pup, I can find somewhere safer for you to go.”

The idea that there existed some other location that was actually ‘safe’ during the apocalypse was ridiculous. Safety was a fantasy that Jason knew better than to dream of. Bruce wouldn’t hurt his pup as long as it could be a tangible profit, and Jason was safe for as long as it took for Bruce to decide his investment needed repayment. If he was younger, more naive, if this were his first pup,  _ maybe _ he’d be able to believe the doctor, but Leslie should know better than to offer him false promises. 

He picked up his notebook, carefully writing out an answer he thought would satisfy her that wasn’t a complete lie.

‘I will tell them eventually, but I wanted to wait until after the third month, when there’s fewer chances of complications.’

Thankfully, she accepted the excuse. “That’s understandable, just know that it won’t be smooth sailing even then. The likelihood that you’ll have long-term complications is high, and the sooner you tell Alfred, the sooner he can find small ways to help. For now, I’ll give you a bottle of prenatal vitamins. I’ll tell Bruce that it’s to help with your malnutrition, but the sooner you can start eating protein, the better. You need to get your weight up.” 

She playfully poked his side, and Jason offered a long-suffering smile. Yeah, he was still a bit below the norm.

“Okay, do you have any questions for me? Or should I go get Bruce so we can schedule you to come back and fix those vocal folds? It’s going to take a few weeks at least, anesthetics are hard to come by, and I’ll need to make sure we have the right equipment on hand, but we should be ready before the snow gets too deep.”

His smile morphed into a real grin at the reminder, and he quickly gestured for her to go get Bruce. For the first time in his life, he was excited about a medical procedure. It couldn’t happen soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the blink-and-you'll-miss-it underage: Jason reflects on how he shouldn't feel ashamed in front of Leslie after she'd treated him for syphilis at 14. 
> 
> My headcanon for this AU (that is not expanded upon in this fic) is that Jason ended up having to sell himself to survive after his mom died (so... very young). Not long after that, Ma Gunn picked him up and he started working for her until she sold him to Roman after the Fall.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter has the animal death and gun stuff! There's also some minor blood. I tried not to get too detailed with it, but stay safe lovelies. 💗
> 
> Enjoy!

Snapping the branch in half, Jason added it to the growing bundle at his feet. He was free from pain for the first time in what felt like forever, and his body was growing stronger with all the food that the pack had been feeding him. Helping around the camp didn't tire him out as quickly, and as a result they started giving him more chores to help with. Simple things that helped lighten their burden, and he was thrilled at the ability to help pull his weight among them.

Collecting firewood was one such task, and it was one that he enjoyed immensely. He carried a whistle around his neck courtesy of Barbara, and was able to explore the woods around their camp while searching for fallen branches and logs that Bruce and Dick would be able to chop up and add to the stack next to the cabin.

A rustle in the bushes ahead of him caught his attention, and he tried to look through the thicket of branches and fallen leaves to see what kind of creature was there. If it was a squirrel or rabbit, Bruce would want to know so that he could set up snares in the area.

What stepped out of the thicket of brush was a good deal bigger than a rabbit, but still smaller than it should have been. The coyote was thin, so skinny its ribs were sticking out through its fur, and for a brief moment it reminded Jason of himself just six weeks ago.

He took the branches in his hand and smacked them against a nearby tree to make some noise. Better to scare it away quickly, after all.

The coyote flinched back, ears flattening to its head, then its lip curled up revealing sharp yellowed teeth. Thick globs of spit drooled out of its mouth, splattering the ground as the sick creature snarled at him, a sound born from desperation and madness.

Jason threw the sticks at the coyote, heart hammering in his chest as he realized the reality of the situation. It was just after midday. From what he knew, coyotes should still be sleeping, and there should be more than one. Even starving, coyotes tended to be very skittish, especially in areas without many people. This one... this one was alone. It was alone, and clearly sick, not in its right mind.

He fumbled for his whistle, shoving it between his teeth and blowing hard, the sharp piercing sound cutting through the forest.

The coyote flinched away with a whimper, then growled and lurched forward, snapping its teeth.

Jason turned tail and  _ ran. _

The coyote was sick enough that it couldn't quite catch up, but Jason didn't quite have the ability to create any real distance between them, he was still too weak.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins, making his heart race and his breaths come in short bursts. The whistle was still clenched between his teeth, and he closed his lips to sound off every few steps, something that was sure to alert the others to something being wrong.

The smell of the campfire grew stronger, and he could hear shouting.

Altering his course, he headed towards the voices, trying to get there before the coyote closed those precious few yards between them.

A stray root caught his foot, sending him stumbling and then sprawling onto the forest floor. He twisted around as quickly as he could, getting his arms up in time to catch the coyote around the neck as it dove for his throat.

He scrambled for a better hold as it squirmed, clawing at his shoulders and sides as it snapped its teeth and lunged, trying to get past the forearm Jason had braced against its throat.

He blew into his whistle again, only for the sound to be cut short as he dropped it, ducking his head down into his shoulder as the coyote swiped at his face with a paw. His arm slipped, the angle too difficult for him to hold.

The coyote surged forward, diving for his throat and— 

_ BANG! _

—fell limp against his shoulder.

Before he could register what had happened, the weight of the coyote was gone, pushed off to the side as hands brushed against him.

“Holy shit— _ Jason!” _

He scrambled away from the hands, panic still cluttering his thoughts and making it impossible to think clearly. The coyote was—was—it was dead.

He blinked slowly at the still form, blood splattered across the ground and pooling in its fur from a shot to the head. The poor thing had been starving and sick, and now it was dead. 

A sob shook his frame, irrational and panic-driven now that the immediate threat was over.

“Hey, hey, shhh.” A strong hand gripped his shoulder and squeezed, just close enough to the back of his neck for some of the tension to leak out of his chest. “It’s okay, we got you. You’re okay.” Dick wiped at his face with a cloth, cleaning away the blood and tears and god-knows-what-else. 

“Did he get bitten?” 

Jason stared over Dick’s shoulder, eyes locked on Bruce. He felt halfway paralyzed, barely even blinking as Dick wiped at the skin around his eyes.

“I don’t think so.” Dick looked over his shoulder at Bruce, eyebrows pinched. “There’s a lot of spit on his face, though.”

Bruce’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Get him back to camp, and have Alfred prep the vaccines. We need to start treatment quickly, just in case this is rabies. Cass.” 

Cass stepped out of nowhere like the ninja she was, rifle in hand. Her eyes didn’t stop scanning the treeline even though it was clear she was listening to him.

“Don’t touch the carcass. We need to build up a fire around it and burn it before any scavengers get infected.”

Bruce kept talking, but Dick drew Jason’s attention back to him with a few careful fingertips along his jaw.

“Hey, it’s alright.” He smiled softly. “Let’s get you back to camp so Tim and Alfred and Steph can fuss over you. How does that sound?”

Jason managed a shaky jerk of his chin.

“Do you think you can walk? Or would you like me to carry you? It’s not far.”

He physically could not force his legs to straighten, but he’d be damned before he let Dick carry him into camp like some kind of helpless princess. He narrowed his eyes in determination and held out his hand for Dick to grasp.

A slow smile spread across Dick’s face. “There you are. You had me worried for a second.” He heaved Jason to his feet, steadying him when Jason stumbled a step. “Alright, let’s go tell the others what’s going on. I’m sure they’re ready to storm the gates at this point.”

They made their way back towards camp, and Jason was glad that Dick kept a hand on his back. It was taking all of his concentration to put one foot in front of the other without falling. He couldn’t imagine also trying to navigate the unfamiliar section of woods, too.

“Oh my god!” 

Stephanie’s voice cut through Jason’s concentration, and he immediately tripped on a rock.

“Guys! They’re over here!” She closed the distance between them, reaching out to run her fingers over Jason’s arm, checking for injuries. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Had a bit of a run-in with a possibly-rabid coyote,” Dick said for him.

Normally, it drove Jason nuts when someone spoke for him, but his hands were still shaking and he wasn’t exactly feeling up to acting it all out.

“Shall I prep a booster?” Alfred didn’t seem phased in the slightest, but Jason had to do a double-take when he spotted the shotgun in the old beta’s hands. That thing was designed to do damage.

“Yeah, we should probably do a full course.” Dick guided Jason over to the big log by the fire. “We’re going to vaccinate you for rabies,” he explained. “It’s four shots total, spread out over two weeks. No big side effects other than the usual, you might feel a bit achy and feverish for a little bit, but if you think something’s wrong, you tell us. Okay?”

Jason nodded.

“How you doing?”

He shrugged.  _ ‘I’m okay. Not hurt, just,’ _ he held out his hand, and they both watched his fingertips quiver.

“Yeah, I’d be surprised if you weren’t.” Dick gave him a humorless smile. “Here, let me get you something to drink. Tim?”

Tim easily slid into place beside Jason, the sharp edges of a holstered handgun digging into his hip as Tim leaded into his side. Stephanie claimed the seat on the other side of him, and Jason blinked in surprise at being sandwiched in place so easily, then blinked slower because they were both pumping out calming pheromones, and he was entirely unprepared to resist the temptation to rest.

His heart rate slowed to something closer to normal, and he ended up leaning his head down on Stephanie’s shoulder while they talked over his head. Images of the dead coyote plagued his mind every time he closed his eyes. Logically, he knew that it was more humane to put it down, that it very well would have killed him had the others arrived even two seconds later, he just found himself over-identifying with the poor creature. Alone, starving, and sick was a terrible way to die.

“Jason?”

Glancing up, he was surprised to see Dick with a steaming mug. Had that much time really passed?

“Here’s some tea. Lavender and mint and other stuff that Alfred mixes together. It’s supposed to help relieve stress.”

He accepted the mug, inhaling the light herbal aroma before nodding in thanks. A careful sip proved that Alfred’s taste was just as good as always, and he sat up straighter to be able to enjoy it better. 

Tim and Stephanie’s conversation cut off, and he looked up to find Bruce reentering the clearing.

“Cass is watching the fire to make sure it doesn’t spread,” he explained before anyone could ask. “She should be back in an hour or two. For now, everyone’s going to travel in pairs to complete chores, and I want you armed at all times. Coyotes usually travel in groups, and if the whole family ate bad meat I want us prepared for more of them. Jason, do you know how to shoot?”

Theoretically, yes. Jason had been around guns enough to get the idea, but he’d never actually been allowed to touch one himself. Well, never been allowed to touch one from the right side of the barrel. Some alphas really liked using them as motivation, but he tried not to remember those days.

He shook his head.

Bruce grunted at the expected answer. “I’ll teach you. For now, stick to camp unless you can be paired with Dick or I.”

Jason was in no rush to go wandering around by himself again. That was enough of an adventure for a month, at least. Maybe even a whole year. 

The idea that Bruce intended to teach him how to shoot, however, was more than a little unexpected. He’d actually teach Jason how to use a gun? And let him carry one himself? It was practically unheard of, but Tim seemed totally at ease with the gun at his hip, and Jason should know better than to be surprised by the unorthodox traditions of this pack.

The more he learned, the more he realized that  _ his _ upbringing was the unorthodox one. 

* * *

“We’re going to start with the basics, things you should know before ever touching a gun.” Bruce balanced the handgun flat on his palm, talking loud enough to be heard over the rushing water of the river.

It was small, sleeker than the ones everyone else had been carrying for the past few days, and frankly it looked brand new.

“Any time you see or handle a firearm, you should act like it’s loaded. I don’t care if you unloaded it yourself, it’s loaded. The only time a firearm is ‘harmless’ is when it’s on the floor in pieces. Do you understand?”

Jason nodded, the heaviness and severity of Bruce’s voice brokering no argument. 

“The only time a handgun should ever be pointed anywhere other than the ground is when you’re getting ready to shoot it, the only time your finger should be on the trigger is when you are actively shooting, and the only time it should ever be pointed at another person is when you’re prepared to kill them.” Bruce paused, letting the weight of the silence reinforce his statement. “You’re allowed to have your own opinions, but for as long as you’re with us the only time you’re allowed to shoot another person is in self defense. We try not to escalate tensions when any kind of conflict arises, but if you absolutely have to, double tap to center mass. Heads are small and easy for your target to move, and any time shooting is necessary you don’t want your attacker to be able to shoot back.”

Jason nodded. Yeah, that was a pretty good policy to have.

“This gun has two safeties, which is why it’s good for beginners. This little tab here,” Bruce flicked a little notch up and down, “locks the barrel in place. It keeps things from moving, which prevents the gun from firing. Tim and Cass both carry handguns with similar safeties. This gun is different, because even when that safety is off,” he flicked the tab down, then attempted to pull the trigger with the muzzle pointed at the ground, “you can’t fire it unless you’re squeezing the grip tightly.”

Bruce traced his fingers along the silver-y piece on the back of the grip, then held it out for Jason to take.

He was cautious, wrapping his fingers around the grip still warm from Bruce’s palm. It was heavier than he expected given that the thing was pretty damn small, but it wasn’t uncomfortable to hold.

“Here, put your index finger straight along…” Bruce guided his hand into a more comfortable hold, his trigger finger placed flat along the side of the barrel. “You want to make sure to keep your hands away from the moving parts, so tuck your thumb under here… good. Right there. And your other hand can…”

Jason ended up cupping the gun in both hands, holding on firmly below where the slide would shoot back to eject the empty cartridges.

“Okay.” Bruce’s arms came up on either side of him, a line of heat down each of his arms and a barely-there brush of fabric against his back. “Here are your sights.” His index finger traced along the top of the gun, pointing out the two notches on the back and the one on the front. “You want to line all three of them up so that it’s level, with the middle point over your target.”

Jason closed his left eye, looking down the barrel and lining up with the piece of paper Bruce had set up on the opposite bank with a muddy bullseye drawn on it.

“Deep breath in, then squeeze the trigger slowly while you exhale. Don’t rush it, you’ll end up jerking the gun.” Bruce dropped his arms, taking a step back.

The sudden lack of contact threw off his balance as he unconsciously swayed backwards. Resettling his feet, Jason lined up again and took a deep breath. Breathing out slowly, he slipped his finger onto the trigger and squeezed slowly… slowly…

_ BANG! _

The noise was nearly deafening, and the strength of the kick from the gun traveled up his arms and rocked his shoulders back. On the target there was a tiny black dot just outside of the second muddy ring.

Jason whipped his head up, looking over his shoulder to smile excitedly at Bruce. 

“Great job,” Bruce praised, a large hand coming up to squeeze his shoulder. “Let’s put some earplugs in, then see where your precision and accuracy are.”

The earplugs did a lot to save his ears, but that first shot must have been a fluke because the following seven shots were nowhere near as good. Only one even managed to clip the corner of the paper. It was frustrating and disheartening, but Bruce just showed him how to reload the clip and gave him a reassuring smile.

He went to turn back towards the target, but Bruce stopped him with a touch to his wrist.

_ ‘Try not to stress. It takes time to learn, and you’ll have plenty of time to practice,’ _ Bruce signed to him, the earplugs not facilitating verbal communication.

_ ‘I know, it’s just… harder than I anticipated.’ _

Bruce nodded with a rueful smile.  _ ‘Here, try again. I’ll try and help.’ _

Jason shuffled back into position, feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders square. Bruce pressed in close behind him, nudging his right shoulder forward a little so that his shoulders weren’t quite as straight. 

He lifted the gun, hands already holding it how Bruce had demonstrated earlier. Bruce shifted his position further, encouraging him to roll his right shoulder back and hold the gun off-center, lifting his left elbow higher with a light touch.

Bruce settled two fingers on his breastbone and Jason inhaled.

Exhaled.

Squeezed.

The bullet tore through the paper just inside the second ring drawn on the paper.

Jason held the position, trying not to move or let the excitement throw off his following shots. 

Bruce rested his chin lightly on Jason’s left shoulder, looking at the target from Jason’s perspective.

The second and third shots were clustered near the first, and Jason shifted just slightly to try and mitigate how it was pulling so far to the left. The next four shots all landed inside the first ring getting progressively closer to the bullseye.

With one bullet left, Jason bit down on his bottom lip and lined up, concentrating hard and trying not to waver too much. He squeezed the trigger slowly, holding steady on the target.

_ BANG! _

For a second, it looked like he’d missed entirely. He couldn’t see any new holes in the paper, but then Bruce squeezed his biceps, jostling him and pointing at the paper. There, hidden by the partially-dried mud, was a tiny hole just inside the bullseye.

Jason collapsed back against Bruce’s chest, careful to keep the gun pointed away from them. He let out a silent laugh, twisting up to look at Bruce. 

Bruce was… very close. Just a few short inches away from being able to press their noses together. He was smiling softly, eyes glimmering in pride, and for a second Jason found himself going lax, tilting his head to let the alpha have space to scent him, should he choose to.

The next second, Bruce was an arm’s length away, only holding Jason’s upper arms because the sudden loss of support had Jason stumbling to regain his balance.

Bruce let go as soon as Jason found his feet, reaching up to pull out his earplugs in a move that Jason belatedly copied. 

“Right. Very good. I’ll go ahead and put the gun away if you’ll pick up the empty cartridges? We bring them in for Barbara in exchange for discounted ammunition.” Bruce didn’t wait for confirmation and quickly took the gun from him, turning away to put it back in its case.

Jason was… very lost. Had he done something wrong? Had his scent revealed something it shouldn’t have? He gave himself a surreptitious sniff, but he didn’t smell aroused. 

Maybe it was because Bruce had almost scented him, almost marked him as pack before he remembered that Jason wasn’t pack.

The bitter thought poisoned the high of his bullseye, and Jason finished collecting the cartridges out of the dirt in melancholy silence. 

One of these days he’d stop getting his hopes up. One of these days he’d remembered that this temporary pack was just that, temporary, and that they meant more to him than he did to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: Please. PLEASE. For the love of god, do not EVER touch a gun that does not belong to you, unless you are directly being instructed by its owner for the purpose of learning to fire it. They're all different, and some of them don't have any kind of safety, and it's just seriously a no-good bad idea. If you're interested in learning how to shoot, there are gun safety classes and classes for beginners offered by some shooting ranges, and you can usually get more info at your local sporting goods/hunting stores. If you're not interested and somehow find yourself in a situation where you need to move a firearm, the 'always loaded' rule is a very very good one to follow (just keep it pointed at the ground and don't touch the trigger, there's plenty of other places to hold it).
> 
> I'll get off my soapbox now, but I felt obligated to include that warning here. XP


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: ALL OF THE WARNINGS!! You're fine until after Tim's scene with Bruce and Dick, then there's another medical procedure and and a scene where literally every single one of my tagged warnings come into play. Let me know if you need more information to read this safely!
> 
> I'm also obligated to say that it is darn near impossible for someone to become totally mute from muscular trauma, to the point where literally *all* I could find was information on neurological trauma. So. I pulled a lot of science for the medical scenes, but it's mostly me making things up based around what I know is fact. XD
> 
> Enjoy!

Jason sat quietly, hands in his lap as he watched the fire dance before him. Stephanie was sitting behind him, braiding his hair with deft fingers. Tim sat behind her, braiding her much more substantial hair. It was a chilly morning, frost lingering on the greenery at the edge of camp well into the morning. Snow was on the horizon.

Stephanie poked his head until he tilted it to the side, giving her better access to the line between the longer hair on the top of his head and the short hair that had grown in on the sides. Whatever she was doing, he could feel it pull tight against his scalp, and the way she combed through his hair constantly was lulling him closer and closer to sleep.

Alfred was cooking some kind of vegetable mix with cured meat that smelled amazing, and he was glad that he no longer had any special dietary orders that limited his options. Nothing special, that was, beyond 'eat a lot.' It was a nice place to be.

A rustle of leaves behind them, and a bright, "Hello!" heralded Dick's arrival.

"No luck?" Stephanie continued braiding his hair as Dick dropped down on the other side of the fire, laying his rifle down flat on the ground pointing towards the river. That was the only direction they didn’t travel to hunt, and was the only direction guaranteed to not accidentally put anyone down the line of fire until Cass and Bruce got back to camp.

"Nope. I swear, the deer get smarter and smarter every year," he complained.

"That's because you keep killing all the stupid ones," Tim pointed out.

Dick rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, natural selection and all that. Doesn't help the fact that we've got like, two weeks until we need to have something to trade. Barbara won't give us fuel and salt for nothing, and I know there's people who need the jerky and cured meat we supply."

"We're not trying to feed the world, Master Richard, just ourselves. Anything extra is a blessing to those who need it, but if we don't have enough to share, then so be it." Alfred pointed out, not looking away from his skillet.

"Yeah, you're right. Just nice when we can get two or three deer in to stock up."

"Indeed."

Silence settled over them as they worked on waking up a bit more, Alfred brewing one of his stronger teas for when Bruce and Cass got back in from their own time hunting.

Stephanie tied off the end of his braid with a piece of beaded twine, the glass beads knocking against the back of his head gently. "Tim, trade with me."

Tim sighed, but the shuffling and movement behind him proved that he cooperated.

After they got settled, he directed Jason to look up and started on the opposite side of his head, the first few tight pulls matching whatever Stephanie had done on the right.

His fingers lingered in Jason's hair more often, scratching and touching more than Stephanie had. It felt so good, Jason started silently purring, feeling safe with the knowledge that Tim wouldn't know the effect he was having on him.

Bruce trudged into camp next, and it only took one glance to confirm that he was empty handed as well. He sat down next to Alfred with a grunt, nodding in thanks when the beta handed him a mug of the hot tea.

"Pinch here?" Tim asked, directing Jason to hold the end of the braid at the back of his head so that it wouldn't unravel while he tied it off, not able to do it one-handed like Stephanie had. "There we go. Turn around?"

Jason twisted on his knees, letting Tim get a good look at his work. Stephanie was working on one of several tiny braids that hung down to frame the sides of Tim's face.

"Oh wow, you look good." Tim grinned at him, touching the braids lightly. "Hey Dick! Come look at Jason!"

Dick groaned loudly from where he was sprawled in the dirt, but pushed himself up and sauntered over. "Oh, woah." He crouched down next to Jason. "This is awesome. You look like some kind of Viking warrior or something." He ran a finger over the left braid, tracing it around to the back and hooking around one of the strings of twine. “Red is a good color on you, Jay.”

Jason preened a bit under the attention. He felt attractive. There was meat on his bones, and his hair had been properly groomed for the first time in a decade and… It was a good feeling.

Dick pulled back, moving to sit next to Tim and pull at the braids that Stephanie had finished thus far. 

“Pull on my hair again, and I will fill your shoes with dirt,” Tim threatened mildly. 

Dick laughed it off, nudging the omega’s shoulder and earning a glare from Stephanie. “What, didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s how alphas tease their crushes?”

“No, my mother taught me that it was rude and barbaric. Neanderthals should not be rewarded for bad behavior.” Tim raised his nose primly, clearly imitating his mother, and Jason covered his mouth to hide his smile.

“Hey, now that’s just mean,” Dick said with a pout. “I’m not a barbarian—I was raised in the circus.”

“That you were,” Tim agreed seriously, then broke down into giggles with Stephanie.

Jason saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced over in time to see Cass emerge from the forest. That, in and of itself wasn’t unusual, but she was covered head-to-toe in blood and he felt his heart rate spike in sudden panic.

She lifted a hand, looking him in the eye as she raised a finger to her lips. The quirk of her smile did a lot to assuage his fear that she was dying, and he bit on the inside of his lips to try and help hold back a grin of understanding. 

Cass stealthily slipped around the edge of the camp until she was behind Dick and Stephanie, and Jason subtly followed her movements, pretending he was following the conversation.

Waiting until Dick was mid sentence, Cass leaned forward and loudly announced, “Boo.”

“Jesus Christ!” Dick jumped back, falling off the log and landing on the ground.

Stephanie just shrieked wordlessly, plowing into Tim and sending them both face-first into the dirt.

Cass burst into a fit of what can only be described as cackles, and Jason silently joined her, shoulders shaking as the others cursed and pushed themselves to their feet.

“Oh my god, Cass, I’m going to kill you!” Stephanie yelled, face red from emotion. 

Tim shoved her off of him, both scrambling to get up and brush the dust off their clothes.

Cass just smiled brightly and held out her arms. “Hug?”

“Don’t you dare!” Stephanie shuffled back, skirting the fire while keeping Cass in her line of sight. “You’re going to wash up, or else you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.”

Cass just kept laughing.

“God, Cass, you gave us a heart attack! You probably scared poor Jason,” Dick said, clearly trying to make her feel guilty.

Jason sent him a deadpan look.  _ ‘I’m not the one who fell over myself trying to get away.’ _

Dick pouted. “Why are you siding with her? She’s so mean.”

Jason licked his lips, feeling a little bit daring.  _ ‘She’s clearly the only one who can find food.’ _ He stumbled a bit, not having signs for the words he wanted, but the message clearly got across as Dick rolled his eyes and huffed.

“You’re both awful. We’re not friends anymore.” He winked to take away the sting of his words, then turned to Cass. “Where’d you leave the deer? I’ll skin it while you clean up; Alfred doesn’t like bloody hands during mealtime.”

Alfred hummed where he was still bent over breakfast, continuing to ignore their antics. He must have seen Cass enter the clearing earlier too. That, or he was just so used to the chaos that nothing phased him anymore.

“Big tree.” Cass pointed into the woods, then started peeling off her shirt.

Dick grimaced and turned in the direction she’d pointed. “Gee, thanks for that thorough description. Definitely not many ‘big trees’ around here,” he muttered. “How’d you get so much blood on you anyways? That had to be intentional.”

Cass used the mostly-clean side of her shirt to wipe at the blood on her jaw, a sports bra the only thing protecting her modesty. “Field dress. Then carry.” She mimed hefting it up in a fireman’s carry. “Did not realize so much blood. Took advantage.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the scariest one in camp. We all know!” Dick called back, disappearing into the trees.

Cass poked Jason to get his attention.  _ ‘Heat some water for me? I need to wash clothes first, then will need a bath.’ _

He nodded a quick ‘yes,’ and pushed up to his feet, debating on adding some extra water for himself. He was due for a quick scrub, and something told him that the next few days would be very busy.

* * *

Something was shaking his leg, forcing Tim to squint his eyes open. The entrance to the nest was open, letting in a gust of cold air, and the dim light from the fire didn’t do much to reveal the features of the body holding the tarp open. He knew who it was, though.

Tonight, Jason had taken the first shift with Dick to watch the smokehouse fire and keep an eye out for any predators it may attract. Jason was waking him up because he and Bruce had the second shift. It had been an exhausting couple of days. After Cass’ deer, Dick and Bruce managed to bag three more, so it had been a rush of butchering and preparing the meat, Stephanie and Cass working together to tan the hides, and Tim focusing on properly curing the leaner portions. Jason had bounced between them all to learn the process, but had spent most of his time seasoning strips of venison with Alfred in preparation of turning it into jerky. 

Needless to say, they were all pretty exhausted. It would take at least three more nights for them to finish smoking everything, and Tim was not looking forward to it.

Jason shook his leg again, and he raised a hand to show that he was awake, then let the hand flop down to wake up Bruce. 

His alpha grunted, lifted his head up, thumped it back back with a heavy sigh. 

It was only as Jason crawled into the nest that Tim realized Dick wasn’t with him. 

“Where’s Dick?” he asked, pushing himself upright. Bruce pushed the blankets off, which was not appreciated, and started climbing down to the tailgate.

Jason held out his hands and Tim lightly gripped the back of his hands so that he’d be able to feel Jason’s signs, given that it was too dark to see.

_ ‘Dick told me he wanted to stay up a little longer to watch the stars.’ _

“Okay. Thanks, Jay. We’ll try and make sure he gets some sleep, and hopefully doesn’t wake you up when he comes up.”

_ ‘It’s fine. Goodnight, Tim.’ _

“Night, Jay.”

Jason didn’t bother changing out of his clothes and just crawled under the covers, no doubt exhausted. 

Scooting down to the end of the nest, Tim was relieved when Bruce held out a jacket for him. It was  _ cold. _

The air was crisp and clear, though, and a single glance up revealed why Dick had wanted to stay up a little later. The night sky was gorgeous. 

He shoved his feet into his boots, not bothering to lace them up, then accepted Bruce’s hand to help him down from the truck. They shuffled over to the other side of the fire where the sleeping bags were set up against the log that acted as their bench. 

Dick was sprawled out on one, blinking slowly up at the sky. Bruce sat down on the other, leaning against the log, then spread his legs and pulled Tim down to sit in the V they created so that Tim could lean against his chest.

Bruce pulled the sleeping bag up over their laps, tucking it under his legs so that Tim wouldn’t get cold. Dick shifted, twisting until his head was resting in Tim’s lap.

“Hi,” he whispered, not wanting to break the peaceful quiet.

“Hey.” Dick smiled up at him, then closed his eyes and hummed as Tim started combing his fingers through Dick’s hair.

“How’s the smokehouse?” Bruce asked, voice wonderfully rough and gravely from sleep.

“Fine. Jason and I added a few more embers and some hickory bark before he went to wake you guys up.”

‘Smokehouse’ was a bit of an overstatement. It was more like a squat box, roughly two feet tall and three feet wide, but it got the job done.

“Anything interesting happen on your watch?” Tim curled his fingers around the back of Dick’s head, rubbing the area that always made the alpha melt a little bit.

Dick sighed and wiggled a little deeper into place. “Nah. Saw an owl, but it didn’t stick around. Mostly just talked about the meat, how much the jerky is worth and why we don’t trade most of the cured meat.” 

Tim nodded, snuggling back into Bruce’s hold as he snaked an arm around Tim’s waist. 

“He’s worried about next week.” Dick admitted after a moment of silence. “With the surgery? I think he’s scared that things will change around here, with us. He kept asking if there were any other packs we were close with, other than Barbara’s, and I think that he thinks we’re planning on sending him away once he can talk.”

“What makes you think that?” Bruce rumbled.

“Dunno. Just a feeling I got.” Dick shrugged. “I tried to reassure him, told him nothing would change, but, well, I still don’t think he believes us half the time.”

Bruce hummed, but Tim was caught a bit on what Dick was saying, and, more importantly, the opening it gave him.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he started. “What if things did change? Just a little.”

Dick made a questioning ‘hm,’ eyes slipping closed as Tim resumed his scratching.

“I’ve seen the way you both act around him.” 

Bruce stiffened at his back.

“How you touch him more than necessary, and watch him when you think he’s not looking. It’s how you used to be around me, before we bonded. I don’t mind,” he rushed to continuing, feeling the reassurances that were practically already falling from Dick’s lips. “I’ve been doing it too. He’s, well, he’s really attractive, and he smells so good… I guess I’m just saying that, if Jason wants to, I’m okay if we, you know, open up our triangle. Make it a square?” God that was such an awkward way to put it. Tim could feel his face heating up, but his brain was still mostly offline and he was too tired to really care. “I just think that he’d be a good addition, officially. He already fits in so well, and that way we could make it a little more permanent?” Tim closed his mouth, realizing that neither of them had said anything and he really wanted to know what his alphas were thinking before he dug his hole even deeper.

Bruce squeezed him lightly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“I’m not opposed,” Dick admitted, eyes flicking up to the top of Tim’s head. They both waited on baited breath, because it really was up to Bruce now.

Bruce let out a slow breath, tickling Tim’s scalp, then pulled Tim back so that he was firmly tucked under his chin. “Jason isn’t capable of consenting to that right now.”

It was not the argument that Tim was expecting, and made him frown. “Jason is a grown adult who is fully capable of making decisions for his life.”

“Jason has spent his entire life believing that he owes payment for every kindness shown to him,” Bruce rebuffed. “Until I’m sure that he actually  _ wants _ us and isn’t just trying to submit to our wills as alphas, we’re not going to touch him.” 

It was an end of the discussion if Tim had ever heard one, and he knew that trying to reason with Bruce in brick-wall mode was pointless. Still, he couldn’t help but have the last word. “I think he understands more than you think, and that you’re going to regret stalling for so long, but I know I can’t argue with you on this. Just know that if and when this eventually is discussed, I am firmly on the ‘yes’ side of the line.”

The silence settled around them, heavy for a moment, then Dick murmured a quiet, “Me too.” 

Bruce just grunted and tucked his cold nose into the side of Tim’s neck, warm breath tickling the scar of his mark. 

The argument wasn’t over, not really, but Tim was content to let it lie for now. They’d reach a tipping point eventually, he just hoped that Jason wouldn’t have too much self-doubt before then.

* * *

Jason carefully lay back on the padded chair. It looked like they’d pulled it out of a dentist’s office, and that mental image did nothing to soothe his anxiety. Bruce was out back with Dick, negotiating how much the meat and hides were worth and what all they could get for it. He was alone in the makeshift operating room, surrounded by strangers with only Dr. Thompkins as a familiar face.

She must have seen the growing discomfort on his face because she finished the conversation she was having with one of the nurses, then made her way to Jason’s side. 

“Are you comfortable?”

He stared at her blankly, because the answer to that question was very firmly ‘no,’ but there was literally nothing she could do to fix that.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. We’re just about ready to begin, so I thought I’d explain what will happen?”

He forced himself to relax a little and lean back into the chair, then nodded.

“We can’t risk putting you under general anesthesia, not when you’re pregnant, so we’re going to use a nerve block. Basically, it will temporarily paralyze the nerves that control your vocal folds. This will also affect your ability to swallow, so we’re going to have to use what’s basically a miniature vacuum to suck some of the spit out of your mouth. It’s loud, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s going to involve multiple people very close to your face.” 

Jason winced, because that sounded… rather hellish.

“I think it would be beneficial if I gave you some noise-cancelling headphones and a blindfold,” she continued. “This procedure shouldn’t last more than an hour, but we’ll have to work slowly and I think you’ll be more comfortable that way. I can give you some music to listen to, as a distraction, but unless you strongly disagree, I think this is the best way to go.”

He swallowed hard, trying not to think of his experiences with sensory deprivation in the past. He trusted her. Leslie Thompkins was the only person on the planet that he trusted wholly and implicitly. If she thought that this was best, then it probably was.

He nodded.

“Okay. Give us five minutes to finish setting up, and we’ll get started.”

Five minutes and three jabs with a needle later, Jason helped the nurse named Selena place a set of earbuds in his ears. They were attached to a simple mp3 player, one of the old box-y ones that just had a set of buttons, and he’d be able to adjust the sound and skip songs by feeling the raised symbols once the blindfold was on. 

Dr. Thompkins gave him a thumbs up, eyebrows raised in question.

He nodded. He was about as ready as he was ever going to get.

The blindfold went on, and then the headphones, and he was officially cut off from the world. 

Whatever nerves they’d blocked cut off sensation from the base of his tongue, his palate, and his trachea, so he almost couldn’t feel the scope going in. All that registered was pressure and a brief touch against the back of his throat. 

He purposefully stopped paying attention after he smelled something burning, instead focusing on the strange mix of classical and rock that was stored on the mp3 player. Whoever had owned it back in the day clearly had a wide range of tastes.

He must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing he knew, Dr. Thompkins was pushing the blindfold up off his eyes with a gentle smile. 

Startling a bit, he pushed himself more upright and looked around. The only people left in the room were cleaning up, and most of the equipment was put away.

She reached up, easing the headphones off, and he quickly pulled out the earbuds.

“Hey, there,” she said softly. “We’re all done.”

He blinked around the room, still not quite able to believe it. 

“I sent Selena to go get Bruce, then you two can head out.”

As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door a second before it pushed open revealing Bruce and Selena.

“Are you alright, Jason?”

He nodded.

Dr. Thompkins straightened up. “The numbing agent should wear off within the hour, and after that you should be able to whisper. Your throat is going to feel raw, sore, and it’s probably going to hurt a little bit. Don’t try to use your full voice for at least five days, and drink lots of fluids. I’m sure Alfred has some herbal teas that will help, and maybe even honey. After six weeks, you should be able to sing, shout, anything. If it still hurts, or if you experience any severe pain or signs of infection, come back so I can take a look before it spreads.” She directed the last part at Bruce, the threat clear even though it was unspoken. “Other than that, you should be good to go. No abnormal vitals or anything that I’m worried about, just take as long as you need to feel comfortable moving.”

Selena cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “You may want to leave sooner than later.” She looked at Dr. Thompkins. “Barbara said that there’s a gathering out front and a lot of the smaller gang representatives have vanished. We should get ready for whatever fallout is about to happen.”

Eyes narrowing, Dr. Thompkins nodded. “I understand. You two should leave quickly, then. Where did you park?”

Bruce grimaced. “Out front. We finished loading my ATV and didn’t want to take up needed space. Duke’s watching it, and Dick is out back tying down the last of the fuel.” 

“I’ll send someone to warn him, assuming Barbara hasn’t already.”

“Thank you.” Bruce turned back to Jason. “Ready?”

He still felt a little shaky, but Jason had zero interest in staying if there was about to be some kind of confrontation. He nodded.

Walking down the hallway quickly, they tried to stay out of the way of various medical staff and guards rushing to and fro, all preparing for the worst.

They pushed out of the front door, and Jason can't help but shiver in the cold. The sky had been heavy that morning, and it was likely to snow that night.

His eyes flicked around, taking in the clusters of people lingering along the edges of the parking lot before landing on a central figure that froze him in place. 

Roman Sionis watched him with narrowed eyes, fury practically billowing off him. His tar-black lips pulled back in a snarl and he glanced at Bruce to evaluate the kind of alpha Jason was traveling with. 

The snarl on his lips faltered as his eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in consideration. 

Bruce pretended not to notice, pushing Jason along with a hand on his back. 

"Bruce Wayne!" Roman called, and Bruce stopped with a sigh. "I'm surprised to see you still alive. What's a pretty rich boy like you doing in a place like this?"

Bruce turned to face him fully, shoulders stiff. "You must be Roman. What happened to your face?"

Roman's smirk fell into a scowl, then his eyes locked back on Jason. "You've got something that belongs to me." 

Bruce looked around with an expression of mild interest. "Can't see anything here that you might have owned. Now, I'm afraid I've got things to do. We’ll be on our—"

Half the guns in the parking lot were drawn and pointed at Bruce, safeties clicking off one after the other. 

"Don't play games with me, boy," Roman growled. "That omega belongs to me. He's my property, and while I appreciate you keeping him alive, I'll be taking him back now." 

"Roman!" Barbara's sharp voice cut through the tension as she rolled up next to Jason. "You tell your men to lower their guns now, or I'm blacklisting your entire gang. No conflicts on Oracle's sites, you know that."

Roman's face did some kind of weird, twisted sneer, but he motioned for his people to lower their guns. "If I know the rules right, then I have the right to make a claim, and that claim has to be answered." He raised a hand, pointing at Jason. "That omega belongs to me, he has for years, and I'll be taking him back now."

"You need proof to make a claim," Barbara retorted. "Jason has no mating mark, so no proof."

"No, but it's my baby in his belly. Does Wayne have a stronger claim than that?" 

He sounded so smug, like he'd already won the fight, and with the way Bruce had tensed against his back, Jason feared he had. 

Barbara turned to him slowly, eyes serious and a little apprehensive. "Is this true, Jason?"

Jason couldn't answer. His throat was still paralyzed, and his hands were limp at his sides, refusing to move. His silence was answer enough, though, and Bruce's scent grew heavy and dark around them. 

He spun in place, turning to face the alpha and try and decipher the emotions filling the air around them.

Bruce looked stone cold serious, but his eyes were wild with mixed emotions, the most prominent being fear. 

"Oh? Did the little bitch not tell you?" Roman's voice was saccharine sweet. "His last heat was almost four months ago, and I can promise he was well fucked. You should be able to smell the sugar on him now, and if you can't, you still won't be able to smell any preheat. Go on, give him a sniff."

Bruce didn't, but only because there was an air of resignation about him. He knew. How could he not know, at this point?

"Oracle's rules are clear: if a claim holds up, it must be honored. Come here, Jason. Don't cause any more trouble than you already have."

Cold fury washed through him as Jason realized what was happening. Bruce wasn't allowed to intervene, not without being blacklisted himself, and with how much his pack relied on Oracle's trade he'd be putting their survival on the line if he spoke up. 

Jason whipped around, stalking forward three steps with his teeth barred. He lifted his hand in a clear gesture—Roman may not know any sign language, but he would understand a middle finger. 

A deep growl tore through the air. "Watch yourself, bitch, or I'll start cutting off fingers too. Whores don't get to have opinions. Now get your filthy ass over here before I have my men drag you." 

Jason lifted his other hand with his middle finger raised. 

Roman barked an order, and the two men nearest to Jason started walking towards him menacingly. 

"No!" Barbara shouted. "The claim must be completed by the person making it. If any of you touch him, my men will put you down." The guards around the lot were already standing at attention, guns at the ready. They would absolutely follow through.

"Very well." Roman stalked forwards, and Jason panicked. 

He was no match for the alpha physically, and he knew that Roman would have no problem with taking cheap shots at his abdomen. His hand brushed against something heavy and metal on his hip, and he didn't remember what it was until he was pointing the gun at Roman's head. 

Roman barked a laugh. "Really? Really, Wayne?" He looked behind Jason at Bruce. "You gave this useless slut a gun? What's he going to do with it, fuck it for us?" He laughed again, then cut it off with a snarl. "If you know what's good for you, you're going to put that down now, Jason. You're in enough trouble as is."

Jason clicked off the safety and pulled the slide back, loading a bullet into the chamber.

Roman's face twisted into a picture of wrath, his scent overpowering Jason's senses and making his knees feel weak.

"If you don't put that away," he threatened, pulling out a knife, "I'm going to cut that baby out of your belly where everyone can see. The good doctor here can make sure you don't die, but when we get back to base I'll make you hold it while every alpha in the building fucks you back into your place." 

He would, too. For as many times as Ma had forced him to miscarry, Roman had always made him carry to term. Made him deliver the pups. Made him watch the pups die. The monster had no qualms about stealing innocent lives and using them to hurt him. 

Agony clawed at Jason's chest as tears gathered in his eyes at the memories. His hands were shaking, and his vision was blurring, things that hindered his ability to aim, and by god did he need to aim true right now. He blinked rapidly, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself.

Roman's voice dropped into a growl. "Now drop the gun, you fucking cunt."

Jason pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😈 I want you guys to know that I had a note in one of my drafts wondering if I should end this chapter here, and when Feriswheel was cheer-reading for me she said _yes_ , so. I blame her for your suffering.
> 
> See you all ~tomorrow~ 😉


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks!! No particular warnings for this chapter, other than the fact that it's the longest one yet. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy ;)

Chaos erupted around him.

An arm hooked around his waist, and a second later he was looking at Bruce’s back, the alpha snarling at the wall of furious shouts coming from Roman’s men.

Roman's body lay in a slowly growing pool of blood, and Jason wondered if Bruce would chastise him for taking the headshot instead of aiming for center mass. Hysteria and shock warred for control in his mind.

He found himself staring blankly at the coiling muscles in Bruce's back, heart hammering in his chest. Was this… real? Had he really…?

A piercing electronic shriek sounded, sending stabbing pain through his skull, and Jason clamped his hands over his ears as best he could with the gun still in his hand.

As quickly as it started, the sound cut off, replaced by Barbara’s amplified voice. “Enough! The claim was made, the claim was answered. If any of you start anything else, you will be inciting violence on Oracle’s property and you all know what that means.” She let the silence carry her unspoken threat, and everyone slowly lowered their guns. Lifting the radio back to her lips, her voice continued through the invisible speakers, echoing through the lot. “Unless you have goods to trade, get out. If any of you try to follow Bruce, your entire organization will be banned from Oracle’s trade. Do you understand?”

No one said anything, but they started drifting back and putting their guns away, so the message had definitely been received. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Barbara muttered under her breath, just close enough for Jason to hear. “You two should go. Dick is waiting for the all clear, and I’ll have Harper and Duke escort you. If anyone tries to follow you, they’ll step in and block the main road out to your camp.” She hesitated, glancing at the disbanding forces. “I recommend you send Alfred and Cass for your next trip, and Jason should stay away as long as possible. Give their memories time to fade.”

Jason nodded, suddenly exhausted and more than a little scared. Bruce… Bruce knew. And so did Dick, if he was close enough to have seen the exchange. They’d… he had no idea what they’d do. If they’d get rid of him, or get rid of his pup, or—or— 

He just didn’t know. The mix of possessive and protective pheromones pouring off Bruce did very little to alleviate that fear, but at least the alpha didn’t smell angry. 

Bruce pushed him in the direction of the ATV, and Jason soon found himself settled on the seat in front of Bruce, bracketed in protectively instead of clinging the alpha’s back. It was… different. He wasn’t sure if it was a good sign.

The engine purred to life beneath them, then two Jeeps pulled up on either side of them, apparently Barabara’s escort. Jason had to force his numb throat to swallow when he caught sight of Dick, ATV already loaded up and face dark with contained fury. Yeah, he’d definitely heard the exchange.

The drive back to camp was tense and uncomfortable, not to mention painful. The medicine was wearing off, and Jason’s throat was feeling incredibly sore. 

Duke and Harper stopped at the edge of Gotham, blocking the road and setting up watch for any unwanted followers, and the sudden lack of an audience racketed Jason’s anxiety up another few notches. 

By the time they turned off the main road and bumped their way into the woods, he felt like he was going to throw up. Not knowing what was coming, how everyone else was going to react, was making everything so much worse. 

They pulled into camp, cutting off the engines and climbing to the ground in silence. The rest of the pack stood around the fire, concern and confusion painting their faces. They could clearly tell that something had happened, but the tension was thick enough that no one asked.

Bruce broke the silence first, face stony. “Alfred, Cass, take Tim and Stephanie and go check the traps.”

“What?” Tim looked absolutely bewildered. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Bruce snarled at him, something Jason had never seen him do to his pack, and it was so unexpected that Tim flinched back, automatically ducking his head. “Go. Check. The. Traps,” Bruce ground out.

Cass glared at him, then gave Jason a long, careful look-over before tugging at Tim and Stephanie’s hands, pulling them towards the treeline. 

Alfred held his ground, head held high. “I trust that Master Jason’s surgery went without complication?”

Bruce let out a slow breath, visibly calming himself. “It went well, but I need to speak with Jason in private.”

“Very well. We shall return in time to prepare supper.” It was both a warning and a concession. Alfred would give them space, but they’d better sort things out quickly, because he’d only give them an hour or two of privacy.

“Thank you, Alfred.” 

Alfred sniffed, sending Jason a long look, then turned and walked into the forest, leaving them alone.

They stood still for a long minute, waiting for the rest of the pack to get out of earshot, then Dick and Bruce moved around behind him. Jason didn’t dare to even shift.

“Are you really pregnant?” 

Dick was the one to ask, and Jason let his head drop, tears filling his eyes. He nodded.

“Why did you hide that from us?” Bruce’s tone was unreadable, but it was not friendly or welcoming. 

Rationally, Jason knew that they probably wouldn’t hurt his pup. They weren’t sadistic like Roman but… that wasn’t enough. He’d survived having his pups taken in the past, barely. He would not survive it again.

He twisted in place, taking in Dick’s confusion and hurt, and Bruce’s lack of any emotion, and dropped to his knees. 

“Please,” he breathed. It was so soft it barely counted as a whisper, but it was a word, sounds that he made himself, and he couldn’t even feel excited about it. “Please, please, please, please,” he begged.

“Please, what?” Bruce raised an eyebrow in expectation while Dick just looked lost.

“Don’t—” Jason’s voice broke, scratchy and painful as it was, and he had to suck the spit out of his mouth to swallow in hopes that it would help. “Don’t take it away.”

“Why would we take your pup away?” Bruce’s brows drew together sharply, and Jason’s heart plummeted. He… he wanted Jason to explain why the pup had to leave. To show that he understood why they couldn’t keep it.

“Limited food,” he whispered miserably. “Worth a lot for, for trade. Difficult for the pack to—”

Dick cut him off sharply. “Jason, stop! Bruce, what the fuck?” He glared up at the pack alpha, then turned back to Jason with a wavering smile. “He’s trying to ask why you think we’d make you give up your pup, although he’s doing a shitty job of it.”

Jason faltered, trying to understand how the wording changed anything. “I’m not pack,” he whispered. Because that really was the root of it all. If Tim were the one pregnant it would be different, because it would be the pack’s pup, but Jason wasn’t pack, and they hadn’t sired the pup.

“Oh, Jason.” Dick’s expression broke into something too soft for him to look at. Dick didn’t let him avoid it, though, and closed the distance between them to pull him into a hug. “Sweetheart, you are absolutely pack, we’ve just been careful cuz we were afraid we’d scare you off.”

Jason breathed shallowly against Dick’s collarbone, staring wide-eyed at nothing. He… he was pack?

“Bruce, go be useful and get him some water.” 

Jason couldn’t see Bruce, but he heard the alpha grunt. 

Dick traced his fingers up and down Jason’s back soothingly and tugged Jason ever so slightly closer. “Can I scent you?”

Jason closed his eyes to fight against the tears already leaking down his cheeks. He nodded tightly, practically whimpering as Dick rubbed his cheek against Jason’s head. He hadn’t dared to hope that they’d mark him as pack—and now they were, even after finding out about his pup. 

Dick shifted down, nuzzling his forehead into Jason’s neck, and his hands shifted so that the scent glands on his wrists brushed against his back. A warm line of heat pressed against his back, then Bruce leaned down and scented the top of his head.

They stayed like that for a long moment, Jason pressed tightly between them and surrounded by the possessive scent of the alphas. _His_ alphas. It made him feel warm and drowsy. Safe, secure, and more than a little turned on. There was no way they didn’t notice, but neither of them said anything and neither of them stopped until Jason could barely smell himself.

Bruce pulled back first, encouraging Jason to turn and take a drink from the cup of water he must have been holding the entire time. The water was cold from the winter air, and still tasted faintly of campfire from when they sterilized it, but it soothed the ache in his throat and pulled him out of his daze a bit more.

Bruce and Dick were both looking at him with contemplating expressions, sending each other looks full of meaning that he couldn’t decipher. 

The scent around him swelled, shifted, turning a bit musky with a note of spice and—oh. 

Biting at his bottom lip, Jason very carefully did not move.

“Jason.” Bruce’s voice was soft and deep, and Jason glanced up at the alpha. “I want to be very clear that if you’re happy with how things are, with being in the pack and not much else changing, so are we. However...” Bruce paused and sent another look to Dick. “We’ve talked, with Tim too, and if you’re interested in more, in bonding with us, the feeling would be mutual.”

“You don’t have to, and you can say no and change your mind later, or take as much time as you need to think about it, we just wanted you to know what we’ve been thinking, in case we’re reading you correctly,” Dick rushed to reassure. Jason was a little too stuck on the fact that they were interested in bonding with him to really pay attention.

“You’d want to bond with me?” he whispered, scarcely able to believe it.

“Only if you want to. Not out of a misplaced desire to repay us, but if you’re interested in exploring that with us, if it would make you feel more secure, then yes," Bruce explained.

Jason had never wanted something more in his life. He’d thought, back at the very beginning, that they’d claim him with a one-sided bond so that he wouldn’t be able to leave, but they both wore Tim’s mark, and he had no doubt that they’d ask for his as well. 

Words were hard, now that he had them, so instead of trying to figure out an eloquent way of saying ‘fuck yes,’ Jason threw back his head and whined, wincing when it hurt more than he expected. 

Both alphas were on him in a second, whispering promises of protection and devotion as they stroked down his sides, then lifted him up together until he was clinging to Bruce.

He laughed breathlessly, feeling a bit giddy as Bruce carried him to the truck.

“I like your laugh.” Dick was grinning when Jason looked over, and he felt a thrill of excitement as it really, finally hit him. _He had a voice._

Outwardly, he snorted. “I sound like I’ve been smoking a pack a day for fifty years.”

“It’ll heal. I look forward to finding out what you sound like once you can really talk. Do you think you sound different than before?”

Bruce set him on the tailgate, but didn’t move from between his knees as he waited for Jason to answer. 

He shrugged. “Hard to tell.” The act of breathing hurt, but in the past if his throat was sore enough to affect his voice, it wasn’t usually his trachea that had been well-used. He couldn't tell if the roughness of it now would linger, or go away as everything healed.

Dick smirked and leaned into Bruce’s shoulder, pressing him closer to Jason. “I like surprises. Now how about we take care of you?”

A shudder traveled up Jason’s spine at the promise in Dick’s voice and the heat in Bruce’s eyes. He was no blushing virgin, but he honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at him with that much intent. 

They pulled his boots off, each pressing a kiss to his knees, then pushed at him until he climbed back into the nest. It was a bit surreal to know that he’d woken up that morning hoping to get his voice back, and now he was here, free from Roman, with Bruce and Dick who wanted to bond him despite knowing that he was carrying another alpha’s pup. He kept running through it in his head, wondering if he’d wake up in the morning and it would all be a dream.

Bruce crawled into the nest first, prowling towards Jason like the predator was, and Jason’s breath caught in his throat. He tried to back up to give Bruce more space, but Bruce was clearly determined to close the distance between them. 

Kneeling over him, Bruce’s determined expression softened, and he carefully cupped the side of Jason’s face, thumbing his lower lip. 

“Is this okay?”

Jason nodded rapidly. Yes. Yes, this was very much okay. 

The snap of the tent flap drew Jason’s attention, and he watched Dick pull it tightly closed, leaving them in dim blue light filtering through the front of the tarp. The animal skins above them blocked out most of the light, but it was just bright enough for him to still see the alphas expressions.

Bruce leaned down and brushed their noses together, and Jason looked back up at the alpha, caught by the intensity in his eyes.

He kept his eyes open, not wanting to miss a single thing as Bruce pressed their lips together. It was a gentle slide of the lips, practically chaste, then Bruce’s hand slid around to cup the back of Jason’s skull and change the angle, and it was not chaste at all.

Jason’s eyes slid closed as he focused on Bruce’s rhythm, trying, for a moment, to match it, before giving up and letting Bruce consume him. He didn’t even realize that he’d opened his mouth until Bruce’s tongue was sliding against his own, leaving him breathless when he finally pulled away. 

He had no time to catch his breath. As soon as Bruce moved down to the side of his neck, body shifting so that he wasn't directly over Jason, Dick swooped down and claimed Jason’s lips. 

Where Bruce had been dominating and thorough, Dick was almost playful. He nipped at Jason’s lower lip, then drew Jason out until he could tangle their tongues together. It required more focus and participation than Bruce’s kiss, and he lost track of what Bruce was doing until a warm hand pushed underneath his shirt and rested on his lower belly.

He gasped into Dick’s mouth, who pulled back to see what had sparked the reaction.

Jason couldn’t look away, gaze trapped by the sight of Bruce’s hand over his womb. 

Bruce’s chest vibrated against his side, a barely-there growl. “Mine.”

Dick snapped his teeth in playful challenge, layering his hand over Bruce’s. “Ours.”

A scratchy, gravely sound made its way out of Jason’s throat without his permission, and it took him a second to realize that he was purring. 

Bruce chuckled, eyes bright as he rubbed his scent into Jason’s skin, Dick mirroring the action on Jason’s other side. Their touches slowly grew bolder, pushing his shirt up higher and his pants down lower. 

He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, where to touch or how to touch or even how to think about touching because so much of his brain power was being stolen by the wandering hands. 

Leaning over him, Bruce captured his mouth again while sliding his hand down to cup Jason’s groin. He arched into the touch, grinding his erection against Bruce’s palm and letting out a sigh when Bruce squeezed.

Dick pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw, lightly scraping his teeth over the sensitive skin. “Do you trust us, Jay?” he asked.

Jason nodded as best he could, tilting his head to give Dick better access.

They shifted, tugging his shirt over his head together. Dick layered himself over Jason’s torso, molding their mouths together while Bruce slid down to start pulling off his sweatpants. 

He shivered, both at the feeling of being so exposed with the alphas fully covered, and at the feeling of Dick nipping his way down to tease his nipples. 

Bruce discarded the sweats, then slid his hands up either of Jason’s legs, encouraging him to spread his thighs. He shuffled down, fitting his shoulders under Jason’s thighs before nosing into his hip, cheek brushing against Jason’s cock. 

Jason’s breath caught and he arched up, twisting to look over Dick’s head in an attempt to look at Bruce, but all he could see were Bruce’s feet, up in the air to keep them inside the nest instead of poking out of the tarp. He laughed breathlessly at the thought, then groaned as Dick scraped his teeth over sensitive flesh. 

Chuckling, Dick sat up to comb his fingers through Jason’s hair and see what Bruce was doing. They watched the pack alpha swallow Jason down together, although Jason was having a harder time keeping his eyes open.

“He’s so good at that,” Dick idly commented. “You should see what he’s like in a rut. He’s insatiable.”

The dark promise in his voice made Jason shiver at the idea. He’d been with rutting alphas before, but something made him think that none of his previous experiences would compare.

One of Bruce’s fingers brushed against his hole before a knuckle started pressing against the tight ring of muscle. It encouraged more slick to leak out of him, easing the glide of movement as the joint ground down and spread the slick over his entrance.

“That feel good, baby?” Dick stroked his fingers down the side of Jason’s face, and it was all he could do to flick his eyes open to look up at the alpha.

Bruce tongued the underside of his cock while sliding a long finger inside him, and Jason’s eyes slipped shut again. He was panting for breath, trying not to use his voice with how scraped-raw it felt, but he could already tell it was a futile battle. It had been too long and they were too in tune with each other, pulling his attention in too many directions for him to be able to focus on anything other than pleasure. 

A punched-out sound was pulled from him when Bruce slipped a second finger into him while Dick sucked at his scent glands, earning echoing rumbles from both alphas. 

Dick pulled back, stretching up to nip at Jason’s ear as Bruce sucked him down to the root. “Aren’t you glad you decided to wash up this morning?”

Jason lifted a hand to swat at his head, because really? _Really,_ Dick? But his glare melted into an entirely different expression before it could land. Bruce was rubbing against… something, and it was lighting off fireworks behind his eyelids. 

When Bruce started purring with Jason’s cock halfway down his throat, Jason stopped trying to think. All he knew was a wash of _good_ that lasted seemingly forever, then Bruce was pulling back off his cock to watch four fingers plunge into Jason’s body. 

He couldn’t remember a time where he’d been this thoroughly prepped _ever,_ and Jason’s mouth went a little bit dry as he considered that maybe Bruce was just that big. Or that worried about hurting him. Both were likely, but now that Bruce was just watching, it really wasn’t enough. The heat in his belly was simmering down, and he made a short noise of displeasure, digging his heels into Bruce’s back to try and pull him up, tugging at Dick’s hair where the other alpha was latched onto his chest.

Dick chuckled against his breast before pulling back to grin down at him. “Someone’s impatient. C’mon Bruce, I think Jason’s getting bored.”

Bruce hummed, pulling his fingers out with a wet squelch that made Jason blush. “I suppose we could move on.” 

“Fucking _finally,”_ Jason muttered to himself, pushing up on his elbows to watch his alphas shrug out of their clothing. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on their skin.

Crawling up next to him, Bruce sat with his back against the cab of the truck and took several long pulls at his cock, which just happened to be at eye-level with Jason. 

He watched the alpha hungrily, looking up at him with his lower lip trapped between his teeth. It was an expression he’d donned many times in the past, but one he very rarely meant as much as he did right now. Jason was willing to bet that Bruce was one of those lucky alphas that tasted _good,_ and even if he didn’t, that pretty cock deserved a good bit of worship.

Bruce watched him with an amused expression, clearly reading the look on Jason’s face, but shook his head. “Next time,” he promised. 

That was agreeable enough. Jason pushed himself up when Bruce patted his thigh, shuffling around until he could swing one leg over Bruce’s hips. Bruce’s knuckles and the tip of his cock brushed against his taint as he continued jerking himself off, then Dick draped himself over Jason’s back and sucked another mark into his shoulder overtop of the mess of scars. It would be a miracle if Jason’s neck and shoulders weren’t just one massive hickey. Dick was clearly on a mission to show the world exactly who Jason belonged to.

Bruce slid his free hand up Jason’s thigh to his hip and stilled, waiting for Jason to look him in the eye. “Ready?”

Jason nodded wordlessly, heart pounding. This was really happening. They were really going to claim him—and not just claim him as theirs, but _bond_ with him. They’d be mates.

Dick rested a hand on his opposite hip, mirroring Bruce as they both helped pull him down onto Bruce’s cock. It was slow, slower than Jason would have done without their steadying hands, and he sighed at the feeling. Bruce had prepped him well, almost too well. There wasn't a trace of a stretch, let alone a satisfying burn, and it would have been underwhelming if Bruce's cock wasn't so fucking deep. 

Damp fingers trailed over his hip and down the curve of his ass to where they were joined, then Bruce hooked his middle two fingers and pressed them against Jason's rim, sliding them in alongside his shaft. A slight tug and—yes, _there_ was the stretch Jason had been missing. 

Bruce rumbled deep in his chest as Jason's head thunked back against Dick's shoulder. "What do you think about us getting you open enough to take Dick too?"

A vivid image came to mind of what Bruce was proposing, and Jason groaned. “Yes, please. Fuck yes!” Then he had an unwanted image of what had happened last time he’d been trapped between two alphas. He lifted his head to look down at Bruce in concern. “Just… only one knot. I can’t take—”

Bruce hushed him, lifting the hand not actively inside him to press a finger against his lips. “Only one knot at a time,” he agreed. He shifted his hand to cup the back of Jason’s neck, pulling the omega down for a kiss.

Jason braced himself against Bruce’s chest while getting the life kissed out of him, arching his back slightly as Bruce started thrusting his fingers in and out. Dick’s hands trailed up and down his sides, nails lightly scratching up his back, then continuing upward to lace through his hair and tug.

Gasping, Jason let Dick pull his head up and to the side, giving Dick the space needed to press against his back and capture his mouth in a heated kiss. It was just enough to leave him breathless, then Dick pulled back with a satisfied smirk.

“Happy with yourself?” Bruce asked, one eyebrow raised, seemingly unbothered by the display as he fit a third finger inside Jason. 

Jason let out a whimper, eyes closing and brows pinching together as he breathed harshly through his nose.

Dick chuckled behind him, vibrations carrying through his skin. “Very happy.”

Jason opened his eyes just in time to catch Dick leaning forward to press his lips against Bruce’s. It was quite possibly one of the hottest things he’d ever seen, the way they fought with lips and teeth, practically challenging each other. Then Bruce sucked Dick’s lower lip into his mouth and bit down hard enough for Dick to suck in a breath, body tense and utterly still. 

Bruce’s fingers stilled inside Jason.

Giving in, Dick melted against Jason’s back and purred. Bruce hummed in return, fingers resuming their thrusting as he let go of Dick’s lip, tongue swiping up the hints of blood that remained.

“I think he’s ready for you,” Bruce said offhandedly.

Dick grinned, turning his head to look at Jason. “Oh? You ready for me, baby?”

Jason nodded rapidly. He’d been ready for _ages._

He stayed where he was, practically holding his breath as Bruce pulled his fingers out, dragging his cheek to the side in the same motion and exposing Jason to Dick's gaze. 

"God, this is a sight that'll never get old," Dick murmured, tracing invisible patterns over Jason's ass on his way down to his goal. The fat head of his cock prodded at Jason's hole, sliding against Bruce and up his crack. 

Dick adjusted, gripping Jason's hip for leverage, and the second pass was more successful. He pressed in alongside Bruce, and _there_ was that delicious burn Jason had been missing. 

Neither alpha was small by any standard, and it'd been a long time since Jason had been mated period, let alone by two alphas at once. 

Dick moaned behind him, panting as he lightly thrust in deeper. "Beautiful. So good, god. So good for us," he blubbered half sentences of praise that had Jason shivering against Bruce's collar bone. 

Finally, he was seated fully inside Jason, hips flush with Jason's ass.

"Are you okay?"

Bruce's voice was extra gravely, the vibrations resonating against the side of Jason's head as he nodded, already breathless.

Dick pulled out and thrust back in slowly, drawing low groans from both of his partners. He repeated the motion just as slowly, nearly slipping out before pressing back in.

"C'mere, c'mon sweetheart." He leaned down, snaking an arm under Jason's chest before hauling him up. 

The new position had him fully seated on Bruce's cock with Dick driving all the pressure forward against his prostate, and Jason couldn't help but clench down on them.

"There we go, fuck. You feel so good, baby." Dick nosed behind his ear, thrusting shallowly as Bruce's hands slid down to rest on Jason's hips.

Bruce lifted him an inch, then dropped him back down, and Jason just about came on the spot. 

He flailed his arm out, looking for something to hold on to, and Dick easily caught his hand and laced their fingers together. His other hand latched on to one of Bruce's at his hip, and then it was a matter of holding on for dear life as both alphas moved in tandem, one thrusting in as the other pulled out.

Jason let out a series of broken sounds, trapped between the desire to show just how much he was enjoying it and the fact that his throat was really starting to hurt. It was hard to pay attention to the twinges of pain though, especially when all his other senses were lighting up with _good, yes, holy fuck._

Dick dragged their hands up by Jason's head to suck at the scent gland on Jason's wrist, dragging his teeth over the sensitive skin while keeping a steady rhythm. "Look at Bruce, Jay. Doesn't he look good? All flushed and determined. He always tries to hold on for so long, but it's just because he wants you to come first. Then he finally lets go and god, it's such a sight." Dick breathed slowly against Jason's ear, leaning in closer to whisper, "Do you want to see him let go of that careful control? Feel him really chase his release? Feel him bond you for life?"

Jason nodded fervently, barely able to keep up with what Dick was suggesting, but _wanting it_ all the same.

"Good boy," Dick said, pressing a kiss just under his ear. 

He guided Jason's hand down to his neglected cock, curling their fingers around it until Jason had no choice but to grasp himself, Dick controlling the pressure and motion. His cock was flushed red and aching with the need to release, and Dick was making him squeeze tight enough that it rode the edge of too much.

Up and down and back up, paying special attention to the head, and then suddenly it was too much. The bright hot feeling that had been building in Jason's pelvis exploded outwards. 

He started to keen, then cut it off in favor of harsh gasps as he clenched down on his alphas and came across Bruce's chest.

Bruce let out a grunt, thighs tensing beneath him, then reached up and pulled Jason down, out of Dick's grasp. 

"Dick." It came out as more of a bark than a word, but Dick pulled out as Bruce rapidly thrust up into Jason. One, two, three times, and on the fourth he stayed, grinding up into the omega as his knot swelled and locked them together. 

The flood of cum was warm inside him, and Jason clenched down, milking the knot as stars burst behind his eyelids. 

Bruce's mouth fit along the side of his neck, sucking at the skin Dick had bruised up earlier, then his teeth locked down, sinking into Jason's mating gland and sending a rush of hormones running through his blood.

He was vaguely aware of Dick pressing up against him, thrusting into the cleft of his ass while Bruce worried the gland between his teeth. 

The next thing he knew, Bruce was slipping out of him, knot down enough that they weren't tied together anymore. 

Dick pulled his hips down and angled them up in a shallow presentation, then sank in to the hilt. 

Jason let out a punched-out sound as Dick pounded into his ass, chasing his own release. His knot was already catching on Jason's rim, tugging just enough to promise before he let out a growl, teeth sinking into the other side of Jason's neck even before his knot finished expanding.

Jason was a pile of goo. He'd never felt this dazed outside of heat, and it took three tries before he understood that Bruce was trying to make him bite his own gland. 

The concentrated alpha flavor exploded against his tongue and the oily pheromones coated his mouth. He had no memory of letting go, only of Dick pulling him back at an awkward angle to bite high up under the alpha's ear, the only place Jason could reach with them still locked together. 

It wasn't until Dick's knot went down that Jason regained some of his higher brain function, collapsed as he was across Bruce's sticky chest. 

He must have made some kind of sound, or maybe twitched, because Bruce stopped rubbing circles into his shoulder to ask, "Good?"

Jason nodded wordlessly. He refused to talk again for at least twelve hours. Lifting his hand, be blindly signed, _'You?'_

Bruce chuckled. "Yes, I'm good."

"Mhm," Dick agreed, still mostly slumped over Jason. He let out a huff. "Tim's gonna be so pissed we didn't wait for him," he grumbled.

"Tim can join us next time," Bruce said mildly, his lack of concern keeping Jason's anxiety in check.

"You get to be the one to tell him that," Dick slurred into Jason's skin. 

"I doubt he'll have many complaints. After all, we did manage to get Jason."

Dick snorted, shifting slightly to the side to get more comfortable. "Jason got us," he corrected.

Jason lifted his head just enough to say, "Shh," then dropped back down to Bruce's chest. It wasn't the most comfortable position, what with the cum practically gluing them together, but he was thoroughly exhausted.

"Get some sleep," Bruce whispered, petting a hand through Jason's hair. "I'll let you know when the rest of the pack gets back to camp."

Jason nodded, sinking a little bit deeper into his exhaustion. A quiet voice in the back of his head was practically singing. He had a pack. He had _mates._ He had everything he'd ever dreamed of, and never believed he could get. 

He was sure, now, that stumbling into that camp two and a half months ago was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and seven months from now he'd be able to introduce his pup to a loving pack. It wasn't a two story house and a white picket fence, but it certainly was a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments, kudos, and support. 💗 They've meant the world to me, and I've been thrilled to hear from you all.
> 
> I have more planned for this AU, both in the form of sequels and maybe a prequel (although I need to be in the right mindset for that level of Dead Dove, because that one will *hurt*). I recommend subscribing to the series for updates, since I won't be adding more to this particular fic. I look forward to seeing you all again in the future!


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